Referee spokesman has sin bin reservations

REFEREES’ representative Fr Seamus Gardiner has voiced concerns over the experimental football rules introduced at the weekend.

The sin bin encountered widespread criticism from players and managers after the O’Byrne Cup games across Leinster and Fr Gardiner is not surprised.

“When I saw the new rules, I was concerned about how some of them could be put into practice. I did feel at the time some would be very difficult to implement.

“Specifically some of the sin bin offences are going to be very hard to police and I don’t like this idea I’m hearing from some people that a rule brought in might be conveniently ignored or not implemented.

“If a rule is brought in it has to be implemented, otherwise referees will be put in an impossible situation.”

A number of officials made their inter-county debuts on Sunday and doing so with a handful of rule changes made their task all the more unenviable. With that in mind, the Leinster Council fully briefed all officials last week and appointed senior referees as fourth officials for all fixtures.

Leinster Council chairman Nicky Brennan took in the Laois-Offaly game at O’Moore Park where six players saw yellow and two saw red.

Despite the criticisms afterwards, Brennan was impressed by referee Shane Farrell.

“Maybe fans, players and managers weren’t as knowledgeable on the rules as the ref, even after reading about them in the papers.

“That’s to be expected though and I would say it is too early to say if the rules are a success. That’s fine too, because that’s what competitions like the O’Byrne Cup are there for.”

Gardiner yesterday confirmed that a national referees’ seminar is due before the league, regardless of whether or not the experimental system is still in operation. His concerns remain the same.

“I see that body-checking an opponent who is running for a return pass is a sin binning offence. I would be a bit unhappy about that for a start.”

Laois’s Pauric Clancy was one of the first players to be ‘binned’ under the new system on Sunday but it was his midfield colleague Noel Garvan who was the first recipient of two yellow cards.

“Noel got a second yellow just for getting in Ciaran McManus’ way when he was going on a run,” said Clancy.

“Noel didn’t try to stop him, he just collided with him and was sent off. It’s not the referees’ fault either. They’re just following the rules they’re given.”

Clancy’s 10-minute spell kicking his heels came only 20 minutes into the clash with Offaly.

“The big problem was that when I was sin binned I still had 50 minutes left to play but I just couldn’t express myself at all because you’re watching yourself and holding back the whole time. You can’t get going at all because you know that one little mistake and, that’s it, you’re gone.

“The sin bin rule ruins the whole game. The whole flow of the game is completely messed up by it. Lads didn’t know who was coming or going. I don’t think there were 30 players on the pitch at any time after I went to the line in the first half and that’s ridiculous.”