GAA president John Horan has spoken out against fighting at club games and warned those responsible of potential legal consquences, saying "an act of violence is an act of violence regardless of where it takes place".
A brawl marred the Kerry SFC semi-final replay between Dingle and East Kerry last weekend and there have also been melees in Derry, Down, Tyrone and Cork - including one in a minor game - that were filmed and widely shared on social media.
There have been no arrests due to the incidents but fines and bans have been issued by the respective county boards , including the proposed expulsion of Ballyholland and Downpatrick from next year's Down SFC.
Longer video here. The two clubs are Ballyholland and Downpatrick pic.twitter.com/luga7c5FUm
— Colm Parkinson (@Woolberto) October 7, 2018
Speaking in the GAA's October Club Newsletter, Horan said: "Our attention, regrettably, has been drawn to the reports and imagery of flash points of indiscipline that have flared up in a small number of games around the country.
"Although these brawls and acts of indiscipline have been few – let us be clear, they have still been a few too many and have no place in our games.
"We cannot allow people to believe that they can behave differently than they would on the street just because they are wearing a jersey or a team tracksuit top or are attending a game.
"An act of violence is an act of violence regardless of where it takes place. The perpetrators of these incidents are not above the law.
"All of us involved in playing, supporting and administrating our games have a duty of care to protect the reputation of the games that we are involved in. Indiscipline compromises that reputation.
"Players need to show restraint. Referees need to be respected and allowed to do their job and officials need to follow the rules that are in place for dealing with issues that arise. Supporters need to also behave responsibly.
"We should be cognisant at all of our games that players, managers and parents are role models for children."
Awful carry on #kerry #gaa #kerrygaa #semifinal #scrap pic.twitter.com/vrCB1cR3d7
— Kevin McGinty (@Kevin_McGinty) October 21, 2018
Horan also alluded to the surprise expressed at the minimum eight-week suspension handed out by Kerry's Competitions Control Committee to Dingle selector Colm Geaney, who entered the field to strike an East Kerry player.
"Where action needs to be taken, action should be taken. Punishments and suspensions need to be meaningful and should have an impact," Horan said.
"For the purpose of clarity, incidents that arise at local level are a matter for the organising committee in charge within that county to deal with. But there is still a collective responsibility on us all to take appropriate action where necessary and show leadership when it is required.
"A lot of work has taken place at inter-county level to improve discipline - but clearly there is work that needs to be done at club level.
"The issue of crowded sidelines needs to be taken into account as a contributory factor in some of these incidents.
"If it is decided that our rules and procedures are not adequate in clamping down on bad behaviour or, if there are obstacles to the pursuit of investigations, then we will address it."
Another football brawl. This time there's 5 or 6 lads pounding on one. And they say MMA is barbaric pic.twitter.com/1naATlRJWq
— Kevin Coleman (@kvn_clmn) October 23, 2018
