New sanctions against perpetrators to be put in place following attack on referee

Referee Daniel Sweeney, who sustained broken jaw and a fractured eye socket when a row broke out toward the end of a match in the Midlands last week, has called for referee safety during matches.

He said he would like to see the day when referees can go onto a football pitch and feel safe.

President of the Irish Soccer Referees Society, Paul O'Brien met with senior FAiI officials last night in a bid to raise concerns about what happened and to call for stronger sanctions against people who assault referees either verbally or physically.

Mr O'Brien joined Sean O'Rourke on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning having met with the senior FAI officials including Chief Executive John Delaney.

He sought after stronger sanctions against the perpetrators of physical assault on referees and how best to deal with abuse and disparaging comments made against referees on social media also.

Listen to the full audio clip here:

Mr O'Brien said that he wasn't due to meet John Delaney until next week but had gotten word that Delaney felt so strongly about what had happened Daniel Sweeney that they met at halftime last night.

Mr Sweeney underwent a five-hour operation yesterday and the news following that operation has been very positive. He will now have a six to eight week recovery time.

Commenting on the assault against Mr Sweeney, O'Brien said:

That's the worst assault I've ever seen.

He said that such an assault was not the norm.

O'Brien said that the meeting with FAI officials had the best outcome he could have hoped for that it was full of positivity and support.

- Digital Desk