Bad calls can’t go unpunished, says Bannon

FORMER referee John Bannon has called on the GAA to stand down match officials who shy away from making big decisions in inter-county games.

For the second year running, the Longford man, through his club Legan Sarsfields, brings forward a motion to Congress in Mullingar on Saturday, calling for referees to play no further part in the disciplinary process after they submit their match report.

One of the criticisms of Bannon’s proposal is that it provides referees with an escape clause to abdicate their responsibility and defer judgement on a contentious decision to the Central Competitions Controls Committee (CCCC). However, the same point could be made for the procedure which exists now whereby referees are being asked to look at video evidence at the request of the CCCC.