Tipperary native Fergal Horgan has quit inter-county refereeing and, in a parting shot, blasted the appointments system, describing it as a “farce”. The official took charge of the 2017, ‘20 and ‘21 All-Ireland hurling finals but said that he felt Munster referees in particular are “not getting a fair crack of the whip” with match appointments.
Speaking on Tipperary Mid-West Radio, he said: “It’s disappointing from my point of view. I’ve worked hard over the past few years and haven’t got the appointments from Croke Park that I thought I should have got.
“No one has a right to get any match I suppose but in the last few weeks, we’ve seen referees getting appointments that didn’t pass the fitness test. That’s not going down well with referees.”
“I did love refereeing. But I couldn’t see why anyone would take up refereeing, unfortunately.”
“I would personally say it to anyone who would ask me, no, definitely not. At the top level you get no support.
“I’m 100% finished. I’m at ease now. I got no contact from Croke Park in the last few weeks and that just shows me where I stand in their community and my family comes first. I’m delighted to walk away with my achievements in tact but I would say to anyone that I’m disappointed with the way I was treated and I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody.”