Players get 40-year bans after vicious attack on ref
Arrests are also expected shortly
THREE players have been banned from all soccer activity in Ireland for 40 years following the vicious assault on referee Daniel Sweeney.
And an ex-player who was a spectator at the match, previously banned over an assault, has been given a lifetime ban in relation to the attack on the fatherof-two who was hospitalised and treated for head injuries.
Gardaí have identified all four and arrests are expected shortly.
The Combined Counties Football League said the ‘vicious, unprecedented level of violence’ directed at Mr Sweeney was ‘unprovoked, unwarranted and unjustifiable’.
The referee was left with serious injuries including a jaw broken in two places, a fractured eye socket and numerous lacerations to his nose in the attack, at the end of a game between the club and Horseleap United on November 11.
The Combined Counties Football League also said that the Mullingar team will have to have three match officials in attendance for all remaining games this season, and a review will decide whether that should be extended.
The club will also have to appoint an additional liaison officer to assist match officials, and is fined €500 for ‘failure to control its players and supporters’, which will go towards Mr Sweeney’s recovery fund.
In a video message after the attack, Mr Sweeney told well-wishers: ‘I’m feeling sore to be honest. I’m feeling sore where I have my injuries. But look I’m getting on with it.
‘It certainly makes you question should I be refereeing when you feel you’re not properly protected. So it makes you question whether refereeing is for you.’
He also said he was brought up as a man of faith and holds no grudge towards those who attacked him.
‘My main message is to say to the individuals involved, I bear no animosity whatsoever for what happened. Actually, I forgive you for what happened.’
‘What would I like to see out of this at the end of the day? I would like to see the day that a referee can go onto a football field, feel safe and be safe.’
He added: ‘I want to say thank you for all the kind messages of support. It’s just been absolutely outstanding and overwhelming,’ he said. ‘I just want to say thank you to the hospitals that have given me great care and attention.’
The incident in Mullingar came after the Dublin and District Schoolboys League issued a statement earlier this month warning that fights ‘will result in a serious injury or a fatality before too long’.
The president of the DDSL Paddy Dempsey said some parents get ‘red mist’ when a decision doesn’t go the right way and then start a fight ‘more akin to a mixed martial arts event than a young players’ football match’. Comment – Page 14 ali.bracken@dailymail.ie