Gilroy calls for cameras at all venues

DUBLIN manager Pat Gilroy has called on the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) to put cameras in place at every Allianz League game to ensure consistency in their disciplinary procedures.

The St Vincent’s man was making no excuses for the altercation that saw Eoghan O’Gara handed an eight-week ban for his altercation with Kerry’s Marc Ó Sé two weeks ago. Dublin didn’t appeal the CCCC’s decision but Gilroy wants a level playing field.

“If I was running it, I’d insist on that if that was going to be the system,” he stated. “I don’t know what their rules are; I don’t have much interest in what their rules are because I’ve enough to be doing. But you would think if that was going to be the case, you would do it consistently for every game and have something to review.

“I don’t know what their basis for review is, whether it’s the just the referee’s report or ... I have no idea.”

And he added: “You’d have to believe the CCCC go through every game as thoroughly as they go through ours. I know the guy, (CCCC chairman) Seamus Woods, he’s a decent man, he’s not a guy who’s going to try and victimise you. But if your matches are the only ones televised, then those are the only ones they can look at.”

Gilroy was keen to stress, cameras rolling or not, his players shouldn’t be putting themselves in positions to be cited for suspensions. However, he raised the issue of the CCCC exerting too much influence on referees to correct decisions without any consideration of the context of the game.

“My only concern in this is the pressure on the referees. The referee (Marty Duffy) was very close to that incident in the Kerry match and he made a call based on what was going on. It was the last minute of the game and there was a lot of intensity. He made the call that there wasn’t any intent from either of them to do any damage to one another.

“I think it was the right decision but then when you see it in the cold light of day in a committee room...

“Clearly applying the rules there’s a reason why Eoghan didn’t go (and appeal it) because if you look at it without the context of a pressure match he was going to get a suspension. It’s a very difficult situation for referees because they are doing it (in the context of the game) whereas the CCCC have to deal with hard fact.”

Gilroy was further critical of the CCCC for turning down Dublin’s request to stage their game against Mayo in Croke Park next Friday. He claimed the initiative of the Blues having their home games at Headquarters has been hugely beneficial and questioned the legitimacy of the committee’s reasoning for railroading the fixture switch.

“I don’t know where they got the information it was for the benefit of the players. Did they ask the players? I don’t think so.”