BRIAN CODY IS free to oversee the start of Kilkennyโs national league campaign, after it was confirmed that he will not face any further sanction for his sending off during the Walsh Cup final defeat to Wexford at the weekend.
Cody will be able to take charge of their national league opener against Cork this Saturday and will not face a suspension after being sent to the stand during the sometimes fiery encounter at Nowlan Park.
Leinster GAA have confirmed that they judged the incident was dealt with sufficiently by match referee John OโBrien and that no charge will be handed to the Kilkenny manager.
โThe matter is deemed to have been dealt with by the referee on match day and there is no further action being pursued,โ a statement from the Leinster Council said.
Cody was sent from the sideline during last Saturdayโs meeting with Wexford, after debating the sending off of Kilkenny player, Richie Reid, with the linesman. On the advice of his linesman, Cody was warned by referee John OโBrien immediately after the sending-off, but was then sent from the field moments later, when the linesman again called for the refereeโs assistance.
After a 50-second standoff Cody was escorted through the sideline gate into the Nowlan Park stand by the referee, but his punishment ended there.
Had the 11-time All-Ireland-winning manager been charged with directing abusive language towards a referee, umpire, linesman or sideline official, a minimum four-week suspension would have applied.
Reid will also be available to play this weekend due to the fact that the Walsh Cup is a Leinster GAA competition โ he will serve any suspension handed down in next yearโs competition โ but GAA rules state that offences under Rule 7.2 are โapplicable in all codes and at all levelsโ and Cody would have received a sideline ban had a charge been handed down.
After the game, Cody immediately protested his innocence and his view has since been confirmed by Leinster GAA.
โOne of our players got sent off and I merely said to the linesman that he was being mauled and dragged, which he was.
โThen he said: โIโll put you out of the field.โ And I said โyou wonโt put me out of the fieldโ.
โThen he put up his flag and somebody else may have roared something, but thatโs as much as I said. Thatโs the way it went.โ
Kilkenny start their Division 1A campaign this Saturday evening against Cork at Pairc Ui Caoimh, with Clare, Waterford and Tipperary the opponents in the following four weekends. Their final league game is another tussle with Davy Fitzgeraldโs Wexford at Nowlan Park.
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the yearโs best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Easonโs, or order it here today (โฌ10):
With all the very exciting points that they make in the prospectus, youโd wonder why theyโd want to sell.
How do you make a small fortune out of a LOI club?โฆโฆ. Start off with a large fortune!
1.3 million and they donโt even own the grounds?
@Stephen Foster: Thatโs true but itโs still the best LOI ground in the country by far
@Ronan O Connor:
If it has a running track around it is not.
Iโd say tallagh is
@Ronan O Connor: eh.. you donโt go to many LoI grounds I take it?
@John Travers: gโwan the LOI
@Ronan O Connor: Has to be Tallaght man. Best ground in the LOI.
@Ronan O Connor: You havenโt been to Tallaght Stadium?
@Stephen Foster: Just like AC & Inter Milan to name but 2. Whatโs the problem with long term leases?
@John Travers: exactly
McGregor might buy it heโs been looking to purchase a football club
@John Kelly: the only thing he will actually pay for is silence ..
@Ciaran: and fines
Limerick FC all over again. The initial investment doesnโt pay off when not enough fans come through the gate or into the club shop.
@Mogh Roith: the problem is not being able to sign players until you have the fixture list for the following seasonr. Most clubs canโt sign players to multiple year contracts, only 9 month ones. So all the big clubs have to do is wait until the end of the season and offer a 2 year contract to a free agent
Will they accept Blaaโs as payment?
Thought the headline said Watford at firstโฆ..would have bought shares of that was Watfordโs valueโฆ