Jul 10
12
Croke Park witnessed terrible scenes yesterday
Meath are under no obligation to offer a Leinster Final replay to Louth after a dramatic goal in injury time gave them the provincial title for the first time since 2001, but they will meet later tonight to discuss the aftermath of the most dramatic football match in Croke Park for years – but for all the WRONG reasons!
Victory had been handed to Meath, but served with salt rather than sugar in the tea. Vinegar without the chips. But the growing feeling is that Meath GAA will do the honourable thing and offer Louth a replay. Otherwise it will haunt them even more than the Louth GAA followers.
It will be a BIG gesture to the WEE county that will be long remembered!
Croke Park yesterday witnessed scenes that were totally out of order for all GAA followers. Like so much in modern life, technology put painful shame to a referee’s incorrect decision.
And even making a north west cameo appearance in a Louth tracksuit was none other than former Donegal GAA manager Brian McEniff. He too witnessed the Croke Park boxing match with the referee after the game.
Martin Sludden the referee did make a mistake – Technology would have given Louth their first Leinster Championship in fifty years – This did not happen.
Referee Sludden marked the goal in his notebook, being pressured by the Louth players, he appeared to have consulted an umpire but technology again shows that it was a token gesture. He got it badly wrong.
The attacks after the game on the referee were equally disgraceful. Fifty years of frustration is not a good enough answer.
The bottle that hit the Croke Park steward was equally deplorable. There were also reports of a Meath player being hit.
A referee is human. He will make mistakes. But no more than in soccer, especially when you have tens of thousands of people at a major sporting event oblivious to the instant tv replays, but being watched by many more thousands at home, can there be real justice.
This is an unacceptable juxtaposition that simply cannot be ignored. We can only hope that the GAA will show leadership in this area where FIFA and Sepp Blater have thrown in the towel.
