Black card change for jersey pull is 'nonsense' says McConville

It is one of a small number of proposed tweaks to the experimental rules which are up for decision at Special Congress.

Wicklow football manager Oisin McConville. Pic: INPHO/Tom O’Hanlon

Wicklow manager Oisín McConville has dismissed as “nonsense” a late Football Review Committee (FRC) change to the black card/penalty kick rule at inter-county level.

The Armagh 2002 All-Ireland SFC winner is strongly opposed to a jersey pull being added to the prescribed list of fouls incurring a 10-minute sin bin and a penalty kick to the opposing team.

It is one of a small number of proposed tweaks to the current experimental rules whose permanency will be voted on at Special Congress in Croke Park on Saturday.

As things stand, in inter-county football the double punishment of a black card and penalty are awarded when a player has been denied a goal-scoring opportunity either deliberately pulled down, prevented or restricted from moving the ball away by being held up, tripped by arm, hand, leg or foot or receives a body collide after he has played the ball away or with the aim of taking him out of the movement of play.

With motions 40 and 41 on Saturday, the FRC are seeking to include the jersey pull as well as apply the black card/penalty rule to club games. However, McConville, who was reappointed as Wicklow manager in July for another two seasons, believes the rule is unfairly stacked against the defending player.

“That’s nonsense,” says the Crossmaglen Rangers man of the recommendation. “One of the things I keep seeing is defenders getting punished. I keep seeing defenders getting punished where the first pull comes from the forward and the second one comes from the defender. That's the one the referees see.

“I think it's pretty harsh punishment, to be honest. Unless we go to the two referees thing, which isn't going to happen, we're missing a lot at the top end of the pitch. At both ends of the pitch.

“I think that's one that may need to be looked at again because I think the punishment really probably doesn't fit the crime in this case. I think that would be quite harsh.” 

Former Roscommon footballer Paul Earley, a member of the previous FRC under the chairman of the late Eugene McGee who put together the initial list of cynical fouls, has long called for the jersey pull to be added to it.

"I would like to see all jersey tugging and pulling back being subject to the black card rather than specifically 'pulling down' an opponent deliberately,” he said back in 2017.