David Gough says the introduction of video technology would help GAA referees in decision-making

Gaelic football referee David Gough discusses potential changes, including the introduction of video technology, which could be made in GAA to help officials with their job of making correct decisions in matches.

By Brian Barry, GAA Editor @BrianGBarry

Gough explains how video technology could help in important decision-making processes

Top Gaelic football referee David Gough feels video technology could help GAA match officials.

The GAA has embraced technology in recent years, with hawkeye in place at Semple Stadium and Croke Park, but has not tested a VAR or TMO-style approach.

Gough, who took part in the Rainbow Laces campaign last month while refereeing the All-Ireland semi-final between Mayo and Tipperary, feels access to a video monitor would help himself and his colleagues come to correct decisions in big moments.

"It would be a great help to referees to be able to help review incidents on screens, on monitors at the half-way line or in Croke Park where we have the two large screens," the Meath native told Sky Sports.

"Purely because the decisions are so vital and the teams are training so hard, we don't want to make the wrong decision, and we want to be best informed when making those decisions.

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Image: VAR has been introduced in professional soccer in recent years

"I don't like the soccer aspect of it where the referee abdicates responsibility, and it goes to a studio miles away. I do like the idea that rugby has, where there is a TMO and there is a discussion, everyone can hear the discussion, watch the same replay and hear the referee talk through the process of what's happening and give the correct decision at the end."

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However, he was keen to stress the importance of not letting such processes overly disrupt the flow of games.

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"That is the difficulty, but like hockey, we can learn from tennis where there is a challenge system with hawkeye, where players are allowed to challenge the umpires or linesman's decisions, and they're allowed three of those," he outlined. "If they get them wrong, they lose them. If they get them correct, they keep them.

"So we could have that system, within the GAA where maybe a team has two challenges, and if they get it wrong, they lose their challenge. So it wouldn't be constantly disrupting the flow of play."

It wouldn't be constantly disrupting the flow of play.
Gough knows the tempo of the game must not be disrupted

A green card?

Meanwhile, Gough also discussed the concept of the green card rule in hockey, which he feels could be applied to Gaelic games to punish any abuse levelled at match officials from the side-line.

"I was fortunate to speak to the Irish Hockey Umpires Association a number of years ago, and before I went to speak at their AGM, I asked could I go and watch some of their matches to go and get a greater understanding of their rules, the way the referees communicate because there's two of them on the pitch," he explained.

"During one of the matches, a green card was produced. Now I'm not for any moment suggesting we need to introduce another card into the GAA, but a new rule which would help raise the respect levels for referees.

"What happened was that if the manager on the pitch remonstrated in an aggressive manner with the referee or the match officials, or challenged their authority or the decisions that they made, the captain was sent to the sin-bin for a number of minutes.

"And it just calmed down the side-line immediately. The captain was quite frustrated with his management, but not with the referee for the decision that he made. It just made a huge impact on me, and something I think could work in the GAA, maybe five minutes in the sin-bin for a captain if managers or maor foirne aren't behaving themselves on the side-line."

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