GAA president says McGuinness and Brennan incidents are being 'irrationally' compared

Should Dublin's All-Ireland SFC Round 2B game against Cavan be fixed for June 14, then Ger Brennan will be allowed to return to the sideline

Jarlath Burns said the difference between the Jim McGuinness and Ger Brennan incidents was that the Dublin manager was shown a red card. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

GAA president Jarlath Burns said people are "irrationally" comparing Jim McGuinness not being punished for shoving Kerry's Diarmuid O'Connor to Dublin manager Ger Brennan getting a 12-week ban.

Brennan was given the suspension for an altercation with Galway strength and conditioning coach Cian Breathnach-McGinn during the final round of the National Football League. 

Burns said the difference between the two incidents was that Brennan was shown a red card.

"What we stress is very important in our association is that once you give the referee a whistle and send him out to referee a match, we are not going to re-referee the game," Burns said on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland.

"It's just giving the position to the referee that whenever he goes on, whatever is in his report is sacrosanct. In the second game, the Donegal-Kerry game, the circumstances were different. When we read the referee's report, he had referred to it and that was enough.

"He had decided not to suspend anybody, not to send anybody (else) off. So there is a difference there and we have to respect that difference. The referee is the sole arbiter of what happens during the 70 minutes."

Burns continued: "It's just trying to explain to people that the sole arbiter of what happens on the pitch is the referee and it is not the remit of the Central Competitions Control Committee to re-referee a game.

"Otherwise, you would be forced to go back over every incident that happens and say, the referee saw that or he didn't see that or did he see it? And remember, there's a fourth official there as well who also has citing ability and in the schemozzle, if you want to call it that, at half-time in the Kerry-Donegal match, all of the officials were there, they saw it. 

"And whenever the CCCC impose a sanction, they have to make sure, is this going to be robust enough that it will pass at hearings, appeal and DRA? And there was a feeling there that at a hearing or at an appeal, that it wouldn't go any further. And I think it's more embarrassing to lose something like that at a hearing."

Burns said he has spoken to Dublin GAA chairperson Ken O'Sullivan about the situation, and understands why they may feel aggrieved. 

"Our CCCC do a fantastic job," said Burns.

"So if you look at the league, we had 314 games throughout the league. There was one issue on the very, very last day at half-time that created anything that you could call controversial.

"And it has only been cast into the spotlight because of another issue that some people maybe are comparing irrationally, if you want to call it that, because you're not comparing the same thing. Comparison is the thief of contentment. Hopefully we can move on from this.

"The one area I do feel for Ger in, is that the place where a manager wants to be on the day of a match is on the sideline, in the changing rooms. I know that Ger takes underage football back in his club. He hasn't been able to do any of that.

"It has been a big punishment for him. I feel him, he's a great guy. I feel he got a lot of unfair comment as well in the social media over this. Totally undeserving."

Should Dublin's All-Ireland SFC Round 2B match against Cavan be fixed for June 13, then Brennan will not be allowed to return to the sideline as it will fall within the timeline of the ban. However, if it is scheduled for June 14, then he will be allowed to return. 

"If Dublin are playing on Sunday week, the ban is over and hopefully we can all move on," Burns added.