The GAA’s Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) is set to tighten up the rule which was used by Kilcoo to go to the Disputes Resolution Committee (DRA) to challenge, on the basis of potential bias, the appointment of referee Paul Faloon to take charge of last Sunday’s Down county final.
Liam Keane, who chairs the RAC, said that the matter is on the committee’s radar. “It probably needs a bit of tidying up, to be honest. Where a sub-committee has plenary powers there is no internal appeal – the appeal is outside the county. However, in relation to decisions taken in relation to arranging fixtures or the appointment of a referee there can’t be an appeal outside of the county.”
This was used to argue that there could be an appeal within the county although that would normally not have been the case – until this year. Then there arose the precedent of a fixture being successfully challenged at the DRA when Tinryland objected to the fixing of the Carlow league final – on the grounds that it broke regulations.
As an independent arbitration tribunal, the DRA does not count as “outside the county”.
“We’re looking at it now,” said Keane about the relevant rule 7.5, “and will probably do something to tighten it up.”
Meanwhile, Down county board has asked Croke Park to conduct a review of what happened at the weekend. Once the DRA rejected Kilcoo’s appeal on Saturday, Faloon was free to go ahead and take charge of the county final on Sunday.
He sought additional safeguards, which the county board were unable to agree, including the standing down of all stewards scheduled for duty at the county final between Kilcoo and Burren and their replacement by others drawn from adjoining counties.
A further issue was pursued by Kilcoo – that Down’s competitions control committee (CCC) had not appointed Faloon but that the decision was taken by the county’s referees administration committee, which according to rule does not have that power. “Our advice at the moment,” according to Keane, “would be to make sure your CCC make the appointment.”
