O’Neill: Black card plan key to stopping bigots

The black card is paramount to the GAA curbing discrimination on the field of play, warns Liam O’Neill.

The Laois man fears counties are dismissing the Football Review Committee’s adjusted proposal, which will be split into five separate motions at next month’s Congress, out of hand because of how it relates to playing fouls.

Under the recommendation, use of abusive or provocative language or gestures will see a player black carded, automatically replaced and subject to further punishment going as far as a year ban or expulsion.

“Our attempt to eradicate abuse of every sort from the game hinges on the black card offence where any insulting gesture or words from an opponent would be deemed to merit leaving the field and being replaced,” said O’Neill.

“I would have huge concern that people might just say ‘we don’t want black cards’. If that one isn’t passed, our whole attempt to stop abuse goes out the window.

“If we can get that offence in, all sorts of insulting behaviour between players is cut out straight away. There’s no appeal against it because you’re wrong. There’s no sort of stigma to it — you’re gone and you’re replaced.

“If someone happens to say something outrageous of an insulting nature be it racist or probably sectarian, body shape or sexual orientation or parenthood or anything, we have a motion coming in that would deal with that.

“We can give any length of suspension for that including expulsion from the association.”