Two-time All-Ireland football final referee John Bannon has said that he is "embarrassed" to have to continually address the disciplinary issues that blight the GAA.
Speaking on RTÉ's Saturday Sport in the wake of an alleged assault on a match official earlier this week in Roscommon, the Longford man said that the association's disciplinary system also needs to become more bullet proof given the high volume of successful appeals that appear to occur.
"I’m embarrassed as a GAA member involved in refereeing to have to comment on violence against match officials yet again," Bannon said.
"It seems to get more highlighted when it happens in GAA but it is happening and it’s a regular occurrence and this isn't my first time to have to make comment on it.
"It’s really disappointing and the disciplinary system is not a deterrent enough. We’ve had major [examples] of inter-county and club players that get suspended and are able to appeal and, on technicalities, get off.
"It seems to be an even bigger issue - as in a society issue in that there’s a lack of respect for guards and teachers and even security people on the street.
"The GAA, in comparison to some other sports, have a bigger issue and it needs to be clamped down on this time."
Speaking to RTÉ back in June, top inter-county football referee David Gough also took aim at the looseness in the GAA's disciplinary system.
"You wouldn't see the same thing happening in rugby. If a player was suspended, he would take his suspension and it wouldn't be appealed, for fear that if he did appeal it and lost it, well then it would be doubled.
"That's the stage where we need to get to in the GAA – that appeals are taken seriously and that it's not just a case of 'sure we'll put in an appeal, we know you'll get off.’"
Bannon shared a similar viewpoint.
"The GAA have to take huge responsibility," he said.
"Twenty years ago if I sent off a player, he got a one-month suspension, there was an outcry and he was missing two or three games.
"Over the years the suspensions have eased and it’s a one-match [ban].
"That’s just even with a player. The same with penalties for abusing referees, it used to be six months, a year, that has become a lot less.
"Because referees haven't been supported fully by our rules and our disciplinary system, on some occasions referees don’t even bother reporting it because they know nothing is going to happen.
"That is a major issue for the GAA. We need to set up a simpler system, the system now you’d need to be a barrister to deal with the appeals system and that’s why we end up with a number of cases in the DRA.
"It’s not the right result on a lot of occasions, it’s to do with technicalities and law.
"At the end of the day, it’s sport. Referees will make mistakes but they don’t make as many as are [deemed] by the appeals committee."
In response to the alleged assault, all games in Roscommon have been postponed this weekend as referees have withdrawn their services. The matches will now be played on 16-18 September.
Bannon felt it was the right call, and he also feels that the recruitment of officials has been dealt another severe blow.
"We have to support the Roscommon referees committee. It’s a brave decision and it possibly wasn’t an easy decision, but I think it has been met with widespread support.
"It’s going to really highlight the issue once and for all.
"There’s a serious issue in the 32 counties," he continued.
"This incident is not a Roscommon issue, it’s a 32-county issue.
"We have a number of referees in the counties around me here, in Offaly, Longford and Westmeath, where they are doing four or five games at the weekend.
"That’s not fair on the referee and that’s not fair on the teams because they can’t perform at the top level and some of them are even referring in different codes.
"Volunteerism in general has become an issue and to me refereeing is almost volunteerism.
"Some of them are getting 40 or 50 euro but it’s three or four hours to do one game between travelling to the match and doing the game.
"Everyone is trying to recruit at the moment, but it’s a very difficult task. Highlighting issues like this is making it even more difficult."
