Kilcoo supporter gets lifetime ban following racist remarks

A lifetime ban has been handed down to a Kilcoo supporter following last month’s Ulster club SFC final.

A source close to the case last night confirmed the maximum suspension has been slapped on a fan of the Down club who aimed racial abuse at Crossmaglen’s Aaron Cunningham.

Another Kilcoo supporter is being investigated by the Ulster Council over similar allegations.

Developing from the game, Kilcoo and Down defender Aidan Branagan was suspended for four months after a meeting with the Ulster Council’s Hearings Committee. He had initially been recommended a six-month ban by the province’s competitions control committee and may yet appeal his confirmed punishment to Croke Park’s Central Hearings Committee.

The hearings committee found Branagan’s brother Daryl had no case to answer for an issue arising from the game.

GAA president Liam O’Neill believes the Football Review Committee’s black card proposal can play a major part in tackling the issue of racism.

One of the five fouls which will merit an automatic substitution is “to use abusive or provocative language or gestures to players”. Central Council are also set to propose a motion specifically on the issue of racism.

“If we eliminate the ordinary sort of insulting behaviour between players we then have automatically the means by which the more serious comments of a racist nature can take place,” said O’Neill.

“So that is our first step on this. We’re going to weed this out. We’re waiting at the moment to see what the motion on racism is for Congress and how it can be handled. But this particular black offence is the platform by which we’re going to do it.”