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GAA president says the black card is here to stay despite "backlash" from critics

GAA president  Aogán Ó Fearghail says there are no plans to scrap the black ca...



GAA president says the black c...
Football

GAA president says the black card is here to stay despite "backlash" from critics

GAA president  Aogán Ó Fearghail says there are no plans to scrap the black card from Gaelic football.

The use of the card is supposed to clamp down on instances of cynical play but its application has been criticised, particularly in the All-Ireland final clashes between Dublin and Mayo.

Going further back to 2015, Monaghan footballer Dick Clerkin described it as a "failed concept" when speaking to Off The Ball.

It came into force in January 2014 and Ó Fearghail says that despite the "backlash" against it, the black card will remain in use for referees.

"In some quarters there has been a backlash. You’ll get that with everything in the GAA from various commentators. The black card is there, it’s part of our rules, yes. I don’t see any possibility of the black card suddenly being dispensed with because of one or two or even more incidents. It’s part of the playing rules of the GAA," he told the GAA's official website.

But he did acknowledge that it can be implemented better than it has been thus far.

"The black card is there now, there is an onus on us to make sure whatever rules we have, whatever they are, that they are well implemented. I would accept that with the black card some of the commentary is fair because we do probably need to make sure it is properly implemented. But as regards an abolition of it? No," he said.

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