Fitzgerald stands by Kelly criticism

Davy Fitzgerald has rejected GAA referees’ chief Mick Curley’s claim that his post-match comments last Sunday were “ridiculous”.

The Clare boss says he wants to draw a line under the matter but stands by his criticism of Alan Kelly.

He also remains adamant both he and his team are being targeted by officials.

Curley, who steps down from his role this week, yesterday dismissed Fitzgerald’s remarks and insisted no referee would ever single out a manager or side.

However, the former Waterford manager recalled last year’s league game against Tipperary as an example of how he has been treated poorly by referees. Fitzgerald received a four-week ban for verbal abuse of James Owens having initially been proposed a 12-week suspension for threatening language towards the Wexford official. He strenuously claimed at a Central Hearings Committee that he was the victim of mistaken identity but served the ban and was absent from the sideline for the county’s last two rounds of league games.

He argues the episode further illustrates his analysis of referees in Thurles on Sunday.

“I’ve said enough on this subject now,” said Fitzgerald. “I made my point and I know that my facts are right.

“But the one thing I would ask Mick Curley to do is look back at last year’s incident in Thurles. I know and he probably knows that it wasn’t right.”

Yesterday, GAA director general Páraic Duffy expressed his disappointment in Fitzgerald’s comments and pointed out Kelly did not have an impact on the outcome of Kilkenny’s win over Clare in Sunday’s semi-final.

However, Fitzgerald reiterated that he never said the Galway referee had a determining factor on the result.

It remains to be seen whether the Central Competitions Control Committee will take action against him..

The previous weekend, Dublin manager Anthony Daly also called into question some of Barry Kelly’s officiating and it appears no action has been taken against him.