Ex-garda escapes charge for Páidí attack

A FORMER garda who attacked Kerry football team manager Páidí Ó Sé as his side lost to Tyrone in the football semi-final will not face charges.

Gardaí confirmed last night that no investigation is being carried out into the incident at the All-Ireland match at Croke Park on Sunday.

The incident occurred minutes from the end of play, when Killarney man Michael O’Sullivan, in his 50s, ran onto the sideline on the Hogan Stand side of the pitch and struck out at Mr Ó Sé.

Mr O’Sullivan, who declined to comment when approached yesterday, was quickly led away by Croke Park stewards.

Afterwards, Mr Ó Sé made light of the matter, joking that he might have been entitled to a “haymaker” after all his years in Croke Park.

The Kerry manager said he didn’t plan to take the matter any further.

The incident may have reflected the frustration felt by dejected fans of the green and gold on a bitterly disappointing day for them, but Kerry GAA Supporters’ Club public relations officer Martin Leane said it should not have happened.

“It’s wrong for anyone to go onto the pitch and strike an official. Páidí Ó Sé was doing a job and he has given great service to Kerry, both as player and manager,” he said.

“I don’t think such a thing ever happened before in Kerry’s long history in the GAA. It was an isolated incident and I hope such incidents will not become part of the game. There’s no place in the game for things like that.”

Mr Leane said there was disappointment in the county following the seven-point defeat by Tyrone.

“This was Kerry’s third serious defeat in as many years, and obviously the supporters are disappointed,” he said.

“They also feel for the players and management, who’ve put in an awful lot of hard work throughout the year. The Kerry team probably puts in a greater amount of work than most other teams.”

The match was a major talking point in Kerry yesterday, and Radio Kerry was deluged with phone calls, e-mails and text messages, said current affairs programme producer Treasa Murphy.

“We had about 200 texts on the question of whether Páidí Ó Sé should or should not retire. This was not a scientific survey, but the outcome was very tight, with 52% saying Páidí should stay and 48% saying he should go,” she said.

Ms Murphy also said many callers questioned the Kerry management’s game plan.

“There was a lot of discussion about Kerry’s tactics on the day and criticism for not using more substitutes until close to the end of the game,” she said.