Cavanagh calls for curb on violence

TYRONE star Seán Cavanagh believes the GAA must do more to deal with ill discipline in their games.

Cavanagh’s comments come in the wake of the 452-week bans handed down on Dromore and Carrickmore after violent scenes marred a Tyrone ACL Division 1 final recently.

However the former Footballer of the Year told Setanta’s iTalkSport that such suspensions aren’t enough to deter people from engaging in such behaviour.

“I think in the past that the sentences handed out by the GAA haven’t been strong enough to cut this out of the game. There seems to be a general acceptance that if we (the GAA) throw out a few so-called life bans (it will do). The policing of life bans needs to be looked at because local stewards are always going to let locals in to the game.

“I think the GAA has to come down hard at some point, and maybe look at punishing the teams that are involved rather than the individuals. All it takes is making an example of one or two teams or a particular county. Whenever you see these incidents, it doesn’t do much for promoting our games.”

He continued: “The things that happened in the (Tyrone) league final have highlighted the problems that have been bubbling in the last two or three years. It seems to be something that’s becoming more and more prevalent in the GAA, especially in club games. Stewardship in club games needs to be looked at, along with the protection of referees and the whole issue of respect both on and off the pitch. The referees have to be given more power and backing to make decisions. But the standard of refereeing probably needs to be looked at as well.

“I don’t argue that Croke Park are addressing the issue, but they could address it a bit quicker.”

Cavanagh recounted a Tyrone SFC clash between his club Moy, Tír na nÓg and Dromore which ended in controversy.

“Five or six years ago I played a match at their home ground and a row broke out in the stands and on the pitch.

“We had to wait around the pitch for 35 maybe 40 minutes afterwards because the spectators were covering the players’ exits. We were threatened and we couldn’t get off the pitch… guys were looking to fight us.

“What do you do in that situation? There were plenty of fights that broke out… when you look back it was crazy. It’s not sport, it’s not GAA and it shouldn’t be happening.

Cavanagh also discussed an incident from an U16 Championship final which he played in. “I was walking back to the team huddle and a forty-year-old man struck me from behind. A mass brawl broke out in the crowd and on the pitch. It eventually got sorted out with the Tyrone County Board handing out punishments. If that happened on the street an awful lot more would have been done about it. But people think if it’s on the field of play, we can get away with it.”