Harsh red cards will force players to quit, warns Fogarty

KILKENNY selector Martin Fogarty has warned that hurling’s top stars will retire from the game if players continue to be harshly sent off.

Fogarty has spoken out ahead of his county’s Leinster SHC semi-final showdown with Dublin after witnessing five red cards dished out in the recent Leinster clashes. Fogarty claimed he was so annoyed by Cathal McAllister’s decision to dismiss Laois man Brian Campion during their loss to Dublin that he considered leaving the ground.

But Fogarty insisted referees are not wholly to blame for the glut of yellow and red cards as they are under instruction from rule-makers while assessors also monitor them from the stands.

Fogarty warned: “I can see players retiring. They work hard for months and suddenly they’re gone off the field for a minor issue. It’s not good enough and it’s killing games. Supporters will stop going to matches.

“I felt like leaving when that Laois player was sent off. Here was a team trying to keep its head above water and taking on a team in the top bracket.

“There wasn’t a dirty stroke in the game and suddenly, they’re down a man and at the end of it, they were down two men. And three were sent off in the Wexford v Galway match – that shouldn’t be happening. It’s killing the game.”

Fogarty has accused GAA chiefs of “trying their best to take the physicality out of the game” and he believes that club matches are fast becoming shoot-outs between leading free-takers because of the amount of frees being awarded.

He insisted: “The whistle should not be blown unless there’s a major infringement. Look at club matches now. You have the vast majority of points coming from frees when there’s not a dirty stroke. That’s killing the thing.”

Fogarty continued: “Too many players are being put off for minor things. I was devastated for Laois in that match. Somebody behind the scenes is directing referees to be far too strict. I wonder do they think about players and everybody involved with teams. Those Laois players put in as much effort as any other county.”