Football

McStay hit with three-month ban after linesman altercation

Roscommon manager Kevin McStay has been hit with a three-month ban by CCCC.
Roscommon manager Kevin McStay has been hit with a three-month ban by CCCC. Roscommon manager Kevin McStay has been hit with a three-month ban by CCCC.

ROSCOMMON manager Kevin McStay has been hit with a three-month suspension following his altercation with a linesman during their defeat by Donegal at the weekend.

McStay appeared to lay his hands on linesman Niall Cullen as the teams tussled at the end of the first half, before throwing a ball in the direction of the same official which struck him on the back of the head.

The Rossies’ boss said after the game: “I was throwing it (the ball) to where I thought he was giving the free and then Liam [McHale, Roscommon assistant] said he had blown it up for half-time.”

He didn’t appear back on the sideline after being asked to “sit down for the second half” and has now been hit with a ban by the Central Competitions Control Committee, which he has accepted.

McStay has been suspended for “minor physical interference” with an official, with the 12-week punishment suggesting that the GAA took a lenient view on his throwing of the ball.

That could possibly have been viewed to have met the more serious charge of “any type of assault on a Referee, Umpire, Linesman or Sideline Official,” which bring a minimum 48-week ban.

McStay is reported to have since apologised to both the referee and the linesman, and he will now have to watch his side’s final Super 8 game with Dublin from the stands in Croke Park.

Their losses to Tyrone and Donegal mean they are already eliminated, and could only impact on the make-up of the semi-finals were they to cause a major shock and beat the All-Ireland champions.

Elsewhere, Kildare officials had last night not yet made a decision on whether to appeal Daniel Flynn’s suspension following his red card against Galway last weekend.

The Lilywhites are also out of the All-Ireland series and have to travel to a Kerry side that needs to win and hope that Monaghan lose in Galway if they’re to avoid an early exit.