JIM GAVIN IS urging referees to be consistent in their implementation of the rules by ensuring that players are punished accordingly for sledging.
The issue has been a talking point since Donegal’s recent Ulster Championship win over Tyrone, although Gavin says none of his Dublin players have complained of being subjected to verbal abuse from opponents.
As per GAA rules, sledging is punishable by the issuing of a black card by referees. Doing so will alleviate the problem, the Dublin manager insists.
“Referees need to be impartial and consistent, that’s one of the things they need to be during all games,” said Gavin, whose Dublin team begin their championship campaign tomorrow at Croke Park with a Leinster quarter-final against Longford.
“The black card clearly states that if there is any provocative language or provocative gestures to an opponent, or indeed your own player, that you are automatically removed from the game and referees don’t have a choice. It is their job to be impartial and implement the rules or apply the rules.
“I know it’s difficult for referees and I understand that, but if they see something sometimes it can be quite obvious what’s going on and they need to take action. That will eradicate it quite quickly.”
Gavin added: “It’s in the rules, it’s not acceptable. We are encouraging our younger generation to give respect. Society has changed dramatically in recent years as we have seen with recent events, so we have a highly-educated population and they don’t accept it. It’s in the rules and if it’s in the rules, it’s up to the referee to apply the rules and take the player off the pitch if they persist with it.”
The Dublin manager — who’ll remain at the helm until the end of the 2017 season, it was confirmed yesterday — believes there’s also an onus of responsibility on managers and county boards to play a part.
“It’s completely unacceptable. It’s a form of cheating,” Gavin said. “I’d go as strong as to say that if there’s a culture with a team that obviously a manager has control of, managers need to be held accountable for it if they’re seen to be promoting it and county boards need to hold their managers accountable.
“Certainly in the Dublin set-up, if I’d see a player, for example, being aggressive towards a referee, I’d expect him to walk towards the line.”
Biting of players needs to be stamped out, also feigning bites, bites in general, bites!
Ah Jim you’re having a laugh. It was the dubs who started sledging in GAA under pillar caffrey. And you have a few good proponents of the art in your own team too. Rory o Carroll for one is always mouthing at the opposition.
Yeah the Dubs started its o
It’s not too long ago that the Dublin players taunted the Laois sided they were thrashing.
The issue of respect from the crowd is also important and needs to be fought at the same time.
respect from the crowd is a non starter.. as much as we all sit/stand together, different counties aren’t particularly fond of eachother and fans will let players know that! there’ll always be booing and shouting etc and there’s always one idiot who takes it too far with the shouting (in some cases more than one depending on drink)..
as for sledging, always gonna happen! this sudden outcry based on a few games and based on what was allegedly said was always going to happen but is a bit far fetched!
True, but you left out the fact that the Laois lads had a pop at the Dublin players in the printed media beforehand. The article was hung up on the wall in the Dublin players changing room to motivate them. There were comments about the Dublin players not being real GAA men. After the game the Laois player and said the comments were taken out of context and wished they had not been edited in the way they were. I don’t agree with taunting either, but there was a bigger picture there that I’m sure you are aware of but that detail was left out. Is it OK to taunt in the papers but not on the field. The Dublin players do use this tactic, so do all the top teams. I don’t blame any county, for what I’ve read it’s been going on since before I was born. I can’t see it changing much. Maybe a token black card or two this summer.
World is gone mad , since when is it wrong to ask someone how their mother or sister is getting on ?
Ah come on slagging it’s slagging on a pitch. It happens on every field in every sport and every walk of life. It can go too far at times but there are no rules saying it’s not allowed. There are much worse things that happen and need to get dealt with first.
Slagging is alright as long as you don’t cross the line what was said 2 weeks ago was vile and disgusting
Totally agree, if it was said. Calling sledging cheating is a stretch.
‘Threaten or to use abusive or provocative language or gestures to an opponent or a teammate’
Is in the rule as a black card offence. To deliberately break a rule could be considered cheating I suppose
and honestly, in the time you’ve played, have you heard players call eachother or even refs/umpires etc all the names under the sun? its been happening as long as ive been playing and watching games so its not gonma stop now and refs are very rarely going to enforce this rule.
As I said its OK as long as you don’t go overboard and what I mean by that is that you never bring family into it to mock someone about his father dying of cancer is vile and evil act yes I agree it has being going on forever but its getting a lot more severe as the years go on
I don’t think a bit of a slagging in a match is an issue but personally attacking a man’s family or personal issues is crossing the line. I blame sports psychology that has come a big part in the game. Players are being told how to get under a players skin by any means.
Players need to get a thick skin. Sledging is part of sport. If players can’t handle it then get out.
That’s one idiotic comment