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Galway coach Tim Rabbitt has criticized what he called the “disgraceful” treatment of the players at the TG4 All-Ireland women’s soccer semifinal that took place at Croke Park on Sunday.
Cork booked their place in the 2020 decider, where they will now face Dublin, after beating the Tribeswomen 2-17-0-13 in a game that was mired in controversy.
The game was supposed to take place at LIT Gaelic Grounds, but Limerick pitchers needed the stadium for a training session prior to Ireland and then moved to Parnell Park.
However, icy conditions made the Donnycarney venue unplayable, so the game was moved to Croke Park.
Originally scheduled to launch at 1.30pm, the start time was moved up half an hour as Croke Park was the venue for the Irish men’s semi-final between Tipperary and May later in the afternoon.
The late change meant TG4 was unable to show live coverage of the game, while Galway only made it to Croke Park 30 minutes before the throw-in.
Rabbitt said Galway Bay FM that Galway was assured that the game could be delayed until 1:15 pm, but that did not happen. After a brief warm-up in freezing conditions, the ball was thrown just after 1pm.
“It seemed to be a rushed job at the end, so it’s disappointing,” he said.
“We were rushed, I think we had a seven-minute warm-up. The way we were treated by the LGFA officials, the referee and the officials is just embarrassing, I thought.”
Galway management says they were contacted at 11 am by the LGFA about the change of venue and, after a quick meeting, decided to accept the change with assurances that there would be enough time for the team to warm up.
Cork ran the entire run in the first half and enjoyed a healthy 2-05-0-04 lead at halftime, and when referee Seamus Mulvihill blew the whistle full-time, the margin between the sides was 10 points. .
Looking back at how events unfolded, Rabbitt regrets that Galway did not resort to stronger action once it became clear that they were being rushed for the throw-in.
“Appeal to the referee,” he said. “I appealed to the LGFA but it was not good enough. If we had come off the court then we probably would have. But again, it was a disruption to our preparations. It was certainly not the reason we did not win that semi-final.
“It took us around 10 minutes to get our second wind but, to be honest, the girls started well in the game, we only lost a couple of free kicks. We had some attacking opportunities and they retired for free, and we didn’t. Those opportunities when they were running. So it obviously had an effect on us. ”
Her Cork counterpart Ephie Fitzgerald said it was the latest example of women’s sport not getting the respect it deserves, adding that she couldn’t understand why the match wasn’t played in a place that made more logistical sense for both of them. equipment.
Fitzgerald also said the fact that the game was not televised also had a significant impact.
“All I want for them is for them to get the same treatment as the boys,” he said.
“My argument was and has been from the beginning, why are we making things difficult for ourselves? We talked about lifting the spirit of a nation. There was no one to see it today. I would have thought that if we could have gotten a field where we could to have traveled in one day, then that would have made it much simpler. “
In a statement released after the game, the LGFA admitted that the venue change was “not ideal.”
“While a change of venue and time was recognized as not ideal, the alternative was to postpone the game. The health and safety of our players was a central issue in LGFA’s decision to proceed at Croke Park.”
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