Stephen Kenny blasts John Caulfield as penalty row rumbles on

Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny has hit out at his Cork City counterpart John Caulfield as tensions escalate between the League of Ireland’s top two clubs.

Last week Kenny released a hard-hitting statement on the club’s website bemoaning the fact his side hadn’t won a penalty in the league in a year.

He also pointed out that league leaders Cork, who head the Premier Division by nine points after nine wins from nine, had won 13 spot-kicks in the same period.

Kenny said a decision to deny his side a penalty at their defeat at Turner’s Cross was “unbelievable” while he also said the FAI needed to stamp out “manufactured” penalties, accusing City’s top scorer Sean Maguire of engineering a penalty in the Leesiders’ win over Shamrock Rovers.

Subsequently, Caulfield called on the FAI to take action against the Lilywhites boss after what he deemed to be “an astonishing attack on referees and assistant referees”.

However, speaking after his side had seen off UCD on penalties in the EA Sports Cup on Monday — in a match where Dundalk were awarded a penalty in normal time, but Ciaran Kilduff spurned the chance — Kenny slammed Caulfield’s comments, describing them as a “personal attack” on him.

Still angry about referee Jim McKell’s decision to award two penalties against his side in their 3-1 defeat to Bray Wanderers on Friday night, Kenny said when asked about Caulfield’s view: “What did I say wrong?

“I didn’t attack or criticise the officials.

“I think he’s lashing a personal attack on me and that’s quite low if he wants to make the attacks personal.

“As a fellow manager, you should never launch personal attacks and I think that’s quite disappointing in that regard.

“I referenced the fact that players are manufacturing penalties and that referees need to be more vigilant. Essentially that was it, that was the main point. It’s not an easy job refereeing and it’s difficult to ascertain the difference. Some players are creative in the way they do it.”

Kenny admitted that the Leesiders had been the better side so far this season but says decisions like the two penalties awarded to Bray were tough to take.

“I accept overall that Cork has been the better team this season so far. We had a lot of problems this season and we’re rebuilding somewhat. Overall they’ve been very consistent and I’m not taking that away from them but what went on on Friday was an exceptionally, exceptionally low point. I’ve never seen that in however many games I’ve managed.

“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am about the whole episode at the weekend. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as low as I have after a game.

“It’s very hard on the players who work hard all year to have to tolerate that. It’s a real low point.

“We were trying to work out the possibilities of getting two penalties in the one half and when it has happened over the years. Neither of them were penalties the other day. I can’t tell you how let down everyone feels by it. It goes beyond anything I can describe.”

“That wasn’t straightforward. There’s more to that and I’m very disappointed with that. It had nothing to do with football. We conceded a penalty for nothing, then we equalise and then another is given. If we had equalised then I feel another one would have been given.

“Sometimes you get decisions that go for you and against you like the penalty incident in Cork but that’s just a decision against you and you can make reference to it but you accept that it just didn’t go your way and that’s just one of those things in life.

“Some seasons are better than others in that regard for things like that but that had nothing to do with Friday. I feel Friday was really difficult for the players to accept. You prepare and dedicate your lives to your sport and it’s very difficult to accept anything like that. I can’t say anymore but it’s not a league I’d want to be part of with that going on. I wouldn’t want to be part of that and nor should anyone else.”