Derry chief vows ‘zero tolerance’ on referee assault

DERRY chairman John Keenan has vowed a ‘zero tolerance’ investigation after star forward Eoin Bradley allegedly struck a referee after a club championship game at the weekend.

Bradley’s Glenullin, seeking a second county title in four years, had their hopes dashed by Ballinascreen in Saturday’s quarter-final. At the final whistle, Bradley confronted referee Declan O’Connor and is alleged to have hit the Dungiven official. The Glenullin forward appeared to have been angered by the referee’s decision not to award a penalty ten minutes into the second half when he and Dermot McBride tangled inside the large rectangle.

O’Connor said he is considering his future in the game.

Derry disciplinary officials meet tomorrow night to discuss the referee’s report and if Bradley is found to have struck the official, he faces a minimum 48-weeks suspension.

Keenan said attacks on referees are “not acceptable” and promised to clamp down on such incidents.

“It’s a matter for the Competitions Control Committee but we will have to deal with it. I said last week that we would have to have respect for referees but this is not acceptable,” said Keenan. “We will not accept it. There will be a zero tolerance approach for physically abusing referees, we have to take a strong stand against it.”

O’Connor last night admitted he may quit the game. He said: “I’m considering pulling the pin as far as refereeing is concerned. I have been doing it now for 22 years and have done everything including the senior county final in 2001 and 2008. I am just thinking about my family now. I enjoyed myself up until the last couple of years – until things started to get out of control which has a lot to do with clubs and their discipline.

“There’s no way of getting around that, the referee always gets the blame for everything.”

If Bradley is suspended, it would make the vacant Derry managerial post less attractive to any of the six candidates. His brother Paddy quit the panel in the middle of the championship last year but there is speculation that, with Damian Cassidy gone as boss, the elder Bradley may return to the fold.

The Bradleys’ father and current Antrim manager Liam is one of the six nominees to replace Cassidy, along with Damien Barton, Peter Doherty, John Brennan, Malachy O’Rourke and Tony Scullion.

Keenan says that Derry are on target to have someone in place by mid September.

“We will sit down and talk to each of them individually, but we haven’t sat down with anyone yet. It’s a work in progress. We’re still on course to have someone appointed for the middle of September. We’re not going to rush into it, the most important thing is not how quickly we get this done, but that we get the right man for the job.”