Many ‘grey areas’ still surround black card, says McManus

Monaghan footballer Conor McManus says many "grey areas" still surround the black card, calling for greater consistency from referees in policing cynical play.

GAA hierarchy yesterday heralded the success of the black card, statistics released showing the number of points scored per championship game this year rose by 9.5% compared with 2013. Across 64 championship games, 51 black cards were handed out, the total number of cards shown, 217, almost half the 2013 figure.

McManus believes the black card has failed to eradicate cynical fouling and while top-brass may be encouraged by yesterday’s figures, little has changed inside the whitewash.