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“They treated us like something you’d find on the sole of a shoe,” Galway coach Tim Rabbitt said of his county’s experience before the all-Ireland soccer semifinal against Cork on Sunday, his players were just given seven minutes to warm up. before the game after being traded to Croke Park with late warning due to a frozen field in Parnell Park.
He completed a frustrating preparation for the semi-final that was initially scheduled to be played at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. That spot, however, was no longer available when required by Limerick pitchers once they reached the final in Ireland.
“When they told us we were going to Dublin, I really thought it was a joke,” Rabbitt said. “I sent an email to the LGFA [Ladies Gaelic Football Association] right away and told them that it was absolutely ridiculous, that surely Thurles or Ennis or any part of the country would have been better. But they told us a lot of different reasons why it couldn’t happen. We didn’t go public with our complaints because we didn’t want to be seen getting started, but it’s not good enough in 2020.
“No more than the referee, we play Cork and there is a Kerry referee. There are 30 other counties in the country that you can get a referee from, but they choose one from a neighboring county. It’s just not good enough. “
Rabbitt’s main regret for Sunday’s events is that he did not refuse to play. “I am sorry on behalf of the girls that we have not left the field. We should have refused to play. We were willing to be accommodating, we knew the field was frozen, we wanted the game to move on, we know the circumstances are tough, with Covid and the time of year, but we were assured we would have enough time to do so. our warm-up, and we didn’t get it.
“The referee constantly yelled at us and roared that we had to go. Neither he nor any of the LGFA officials respected us. He immediately said, ‘I’ll start in six minutes.’ I had to go up to him and try to reason with him, I asked for a couple more minutes, they gave us seven and at that point we should have left.
“I don’t take anything away from Cork, they deserved it, they were the best team, and I really want to emphasize that, but the whole experience was a joke.
“These are things that just don’t happen in men’s football. If we’re going to talk about equality, there has to be some substance, not just shoving things under the rug like they’re not happening. They are happening every year. Women’s sport is probably one of the fastest growing sports in the country, but we don’t seem to have the bureaucracy in the association that can keep up with it and bring the professionalism that is required. “
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