Davy Fitzgerald handed 'misconduct' ban after comments made about officials
Antrim hurling's woes have intensified with an eight-week suspension handed to manager Davy Fitzgerald.
After a demoralising loss to Offaly in Tullamore last Saturday, the Saffrons were relegated from Liam MacCarthy Cup contention and are destined for the Joe McDonagh Cup in 2026.
Antrim lost all five of their Leinster SHC games in 2025, but Fitzgerald landed himself in hot water with the GAA's disciplinary bodies for remarks made following their round four loss to Galway earlier this month.
Antrim felt hard done by due to a red card given to Loughgiel's Declan McCloskey, prompting Fitzgerald to level harsh words at the match officials after the hefty defeat in Pearse Stadium.
"It was Johnny Murphy that seen it and Johnny Murphy now wouldn't have any time for me anyway number one - that's out there," the Clare-born mentor exclaimed, reports Belfast Live.
"Everybody knows that himself and one or two more of them, they actually despise me and that's fine, I can get over that."
Fitzgerald was cited for the lesser-known charge of misconduct considered to have discredited the association and he requested a hearing, which took place on Thursday night.
The GAA's Central Hearing Committee (CHC) concluded the offence was valid, subsequently sanctioning the Clare man with an eight-week ban. Fitzgerald retains the right to contest this decision and, if pushed, could take his case to the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) once he's exhausted all internal GAA appeal options.
With Antrim's season wrapped up, the question lingers whether Fitzgerald will return to the fray next year.
After the recent defeat to Offaly, he emphasised his need for "a bit of time" before deciding on another term with the Saffrons.
He took the helm last year on a two-year contract, with a third year being an option.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Hurling Nation: Head and heart conflicted for Munster final
Good morning Hurling Nation. A big weekend with three important games. The Munster final throws in tomorrow. Yes, a Munster final, at tea-time on a Saturday evening in early June. That will always feel unnatural. Anyway, and luckily, Cork and Limerick are a good story. The Treaty host the Rebels at the same venue they beat them by 16 points only 21 days ago. Some have gone from wondering if Cork would canter to an All-Ireland, to now writing them off. Pat Ryan knows how quickly the mood changes, and often, He also knows that things aren't as dark as they are painted. For some reason, Cork were loose and disorganised three weeks ago in Limerick. At times they gave away space without Limerick having to demand it. Five points down in three minutes, 15 points down by half-time, Limerick playing to settle the score after two losses to Cork last year and knowing a win would put Clare in deep trouble. Desire isn't always evenly shared, on that day it wasn't even close. To win tomorrow, Cork need to find energy and aggression from the throw-in. Marking cannot be Covid-style social distancing. Cian Lynch can't be allowed conduct the orchestra. There must be a way around the state-of-the-art surveillance and response unit that has Kyle Hayes at number six. The Cork full-forward line needs to show. The middle third has to be a battlefield with fire coming from both trenches this time. Cork could do all that and still lose. What's been most impressive about Limerick this year is their contunied growth. Thay have the experience. They have embedded new faces who have been on the panel for two or three years been readied for this. They have the most comprehensive team of substitutes that we can remember a top team having and they have two brains working in one with Kiely and Kinnerk. A good fight, Cork to narrow the gap. The heart even says Cork might eliminate that gap, but the head says, a storied seven in a row for Limerick. Sunday's Leinster final doesn't carry the same weight, but still, could be a serious contest. After the limp showing against Kilkenny in the first round, Galway have grown into the championship since. They weren't bothered much by Offaly, Wexford and Antrim, and then went on to Parnell Park and beat Dublin convincingly, scoring 29 points into the bargain. While Micheál Donoghue used 37 players in the national league, Kilkenny are more settled. A win on Sunday will give them a six-peat in Leinster, but won't cut too much mustard in Kilkenny. Derek Lyng knows an All-Ireland is the minimum requirement, but to be fair, he hasn't the luxury of the raw materials that his predecessor had. With an eye to the All-Ireland series, both sides would be as concerned with performance levels as much as winning the silver. The stripey ones, narrowly. Before the Leinster final, we have the Joe McDonagh Cup, a pairing that could only be more novel if the GAA had chosen to shoehorn New York hurlers in, like they diod the Lory Meagher. A few weeks back, Laois would have been the favourites here, but Kildare's progress has been rapid. After a narrow first-round loss to Kerry, they beat the big guns of Carlow and Laois to get here. The McDonagh Cup finals are invariably entertaining games. Hard to call this one, but we'll go for the cup to be passing through curragh of Kildare on Sunday evening. Sin é a chairde. Two big days, enjoy them. The feast will finish soon enough.
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Jim Crawford backs Ireland U21 starlet to ‘take hype in his stride' as he reveals ‘his family's experienced it before'
JIM CRAWFORD backed Cathal O'Sullivan to block out the noise by making some of his own with the Republic of Ireland U21s. The Cork City starlet is one of three League of Ireland players to have earned their first call-ups into Crawford's panel for today's friendly against 2 Cathal O'Sullivan is one of the rising stars of the League of Ireland Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile 2 Jim Crawford backed him to take the hype in stride Credit: Manu Reino/Sportsfile That will be followed by another friendly against next Tuesday. O'Sullivan is joined by And the Ireland U21 boss praised the trio for making a seamless transition, saying: 'They haven't looked out of place. 'I had a conversation with Cathal saying that last year, when he was playing in the First Division, I thought he was outstanding. Read More on Ireland MNT 'And then, when they got promoted, I said, great, he has that taste now of being in a league winning team. 'He's been excellent. He really has. He's exciting crowds and I'm looking forward to seeing him play for us in this window. 'Cory was someone so young, playing with the top team in the league and looking comfortable. 'He plays with a maturity and a know-how that merits his inclusion. Most read in Football 'Warren's been having a great year. He knows that he's at a stage that will help him develop even more.' O'Sullivan has been the talk of the Watch Robbie Brady aim hilarious dig at Ireland teammates after winning Player of the Year award The 18-year-old scored seven goals in 28 appearances as the Leesiders won the First Division in 2024 and has played 14 times in the Premier Division this season. While City are second from bottom, O'Sullivan's reputations has continued to blossom. The winger visited After Meanwhile, City teammate – and ex-Preston North End star - Seani Maguire argued he is Crawford revealed that the youngster's brother spent time at family handled that experience will serve O'Sullivan well. GOOD STOCK He added: 'I've seen it with players where players would lose the run of themselves with all the external stuff coming from social media or from other people around the game. 'He's played some big games for Cork and he's been excellent, he really has, so I would suggest that he'll just take it in a stride. 'His brother played with Aston Villa. I think he was there for a year, he was saying. 'The family have experienced somebody at that level that goes away to England and tries to forge a career in the game.' Crawford also confirmed that Man Utd prospect Jacob Devaney will make his Ireland U21 debut in this window. The Yorkshire-born midfielder got his first call-up having previously played for the U19s. The 17-year-old is among the smattering of first-timers that also includes Killian Barrett, Cian Dillon – who was drafted in after injuries to Mason Melia and Jack Moorehouse – and the aforementioned League of Ireland trio. And Crawford said: 'Jacob's come in and he's trained well. He had to step out for one of our sessions. It was just to modify his load. 'The beauty with him, he can play as that holding midfielder and he can play as a full-back too, which is always a strength for a player as well in international football . 'He's come in and again, another player who hasn't looked out of place. 'He's a fantastic personality and he's a credit to his family because he's come in and it could have been quite daunting for him to come into a 21s camp. 'He's come in and he's been excellent, he really has, so he's definitely looking forward to putting on the green jersey .'
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘I hate it, hate it' – Premier League official rages at VAR as referee says ‘we knew the monster that had been created'
REF Bobby Madley let rip at VAR, insisting its usage means football will never see another Sergio Aguero moment. And Madley slammed Prem chiefs for creating a 'monster' that is 'ruining' the beautiful game. 1 Referee Bobby Madley has not held back when discussing VAR Credit: Getty The Wakefield-born whistler, 39, who takes charge of EFL games and is a fourth official for top-flight matches, raged: 'Most fans weren't clambering to get video technology. 'Players weren't, referees weren't, but the multi-million pound people running football had issues with refs getting things wrong. 'But we knew the monster that had been created — we knew what was coming. 'We've got to the stage where people go, 'Sorry, we're ruining football with this now'.' READ MORE IN FOOTBALL There have been a string of controversies since the technology was introduced in 2019. VAR Lee Mason was axed for failing to rule out a Howard Webb's ref body, the PGMOL, issued an apology to Liverpool when VAR wrongly ruled out a Aguero's famous final-game, stoppage-time winner clinched Manchester City's first title in 2012. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK But at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Madley added: 'That Aguero moment, where the ref was blowing, nobody's flagging, you are never going to see that again. 'Because everyone will panic as they check a potential offside 15 seconds ago. VAR takes that emotion away. I hate it, hate it." New footage sees raging Jude Bellingham KICK VAR monitor in frustration after Real Madrid's last-gasp defeat VAR: Imagine the future... Martin Lipton's pro VAR view FAST forward 12 months to May 18, 2025. After 89 minutes at Molineux, Wolves, needing to win their last game of the season to stay up, are beating Manchester United, who require a point for Champions League football. A ball over the top sends Rasmus Hojlund racing away. The flag stays down. Hojlund scores. Wolves are relegated. And on the way home, the dejected Wolves fans see the still image on their phones. Hojlund was 2ft offside. No question. A shocker. It means at least a year in the Championship, £100million income drop, a firesale of the squad. While United bank an extra £50m. But it's OK. Every one of those fans, plus smiling boss Gary O'Neil and the Wolves board, will line up to say: 'No worries. It's what we voted for. Rough with the smooth.' Yes. And I've got a bridge to Ireland to sell you.
