Cork set to counter Murray striking charge with video evidence

CORK GAA chiefs are expected to vigorously contest suggestions that footballer Fionán Murray struck Kerry’s Tom O’Sullivan in last month’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat at Croke Park.

Five players, two from Kerry and three from Cork, have been summoned to appear before Croke Park’s GAC committee tonight to explain their actions in the second half melee.

O’Sullivan is expecting a four week ban, which will finish at midnight on September 21, and leave him free to play in the following day’s All-Ireland decider against Armagh. His Kingdom colleague Tomás O´ Sé would gladly accept a similar sanction to avoid the prospect of missing the final.

It was feared at one stage last week that a four week ban would rule O´ Sé out of the final, on the basis that his suspension would commence from the date of the meeting, and not the date of the match, where he was not sent off.

However senior GAA sources have clarified that this only applies to team officials and not players.

O Sé and Philip Clifford have been summoned to the meeting on the basis of video evidence. Murray has been reported for striking with his fist and Cork are certain to use video evidence to disprove it. He became embroiled with Tom O’Sullivan after Murray shouldered the Kerryman defender in the back.

At a recent Central Council meeting, GAA president Sean McCague ruled that once a player had been red carded he had to serve a term of suspension, and the only way he could avoid that would be if video evidence could be produced which would exonerate him.

The ruling was made in light of a number of recent incidents where players were given straight red cards but subsequent referees’ reports indicated otherwise, a clear indication that they had been pressurised into doing so by outside influences.

In Murray’s case his club St Finbarrs will be hoping that the video evidence clears him of the charge made against him. If he was to be suspended for striking, the minimum he would get is one month which would rule him out of the county SFC semi-final on September 21.

Colin Corkery has been summoned to Croke Park tonight not because he was sent off after receiving a yellow and then a red card, but because of his comments in the media after the game in which he heavily criticised the referee White. A month’s suspension on the Cork captain would rule him out of his club’s county SFC quarter-final against Mallow on September 14 and also out of the semi-final the following week if successful.

In Clifford’s case, it’s understood he won’t be appearing before the GAC tonight, but has written an explanation for his alleged behaviour.