IT’S TIME TO ACT ON VIDEOS

TOM RYAN has admitted the constant stream of fresh videos of GAA violence emerging in recent months has made for ‘really, really uncomfortable’ viewing.

Melees, crowd disturbances and violent exchanges between rival GAA players are increasingly being recorded on mobile phones and being published on social media or by mainstream media.

The Director General said that in many situations, Croke Park are unable to intervene in the disciplinary processes that follow because they are handled locally.

But he said they’re keen to gain more control in this area and hope to have ‘something specific come Congress time in February that would allow us a bit more direct intervention’.

Ryan said: “When you look at them, you couldn’t be pleased seeing any of those things. But in an odd way, the fact that they are visible and being highlighted kind of forces the issue to move on too. The fact is that everybody has a phone at a match. The wrong thing would be to blame the media for example, that would be the wrong thing to do.

“You are not comfortable seeing those things when you wake up on a Monday morning. Seeing it is really, really uncomfortable. But in some ways it improves the thing.

“When something happens on the field, you are judged not just by what happened but how it is dealt with. And if we are not consistent across the country with that, it is a weakness.”