Farney dispute ‘no show’ after CHC deny them home comforts

Monaghan’s disciplinary case is set to rumble on after the Central Hearings Committee (CHC) ruled, in the absence of county officials, that they play their next home game at a neutral venue.

At a meeting on Friday, the CHC stripped Monaghan of home advantage for their forthcoming Division 2 fixture with Galway, the venue to be decided by the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC).

In a press release, the Monaghan County Board complained they did not give consent to the hearing proceeding in their absence and required an opportunity to make a submission.

They claimed the meeting had initially been scheduled for last Thursday, which they were available to attend.

According to their statement, the date was then changed to Friday. “Coiste Chontae Mhuineacháin notified CHC that they were unavailable to be represented on Friday 16th and sought an alternative date.

“CHC refused to allow an alternative date even though Coiste Chontae Mhuineacháin had afforded them that courtesy.”

The statement continued: “Coiste Chontae Mhuineacháin are disappointed that these reasonable requests may have been ignored and or dismissed without proper justification or communication from CHC.”

The CHC state Monaghan were notified of the meeting but didn’t attend nor avail of the opportunity to make their case via telephone conferencing.

They also stated the CCCC attended the meeting but made no submissions.

Monaghan are now all but certain to pursue the case with the Central Appeals Committee, while another application to the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) hasn’t been ruled out.

The CHC’s action follows the DRA’s decision to quash their previous punishment, which ordered them to play a ‘home’ game away to Louth.

In their decision, the DRA cited the neutral venue as one of the viable punishment options available to the CHC in conjunction with the CCCC.

Monaghan’s case arises from their players’ involvement in a melee against Kildare in Clones last month.