Mullingar Town AFC, the football club involved in an incident that left a referee badly injured, have issued an apology for their involvement in the attack.
The apology acknowledges that the attack, which happened on 11 November, was “devastating and disgraceful”. The statement apologises to Dan Sweeney, the referee in question, as well as Irish Soccer Referees Society and the FAI. It is signed by Martin Moore, the chairman of the club.
Moore said of the incident, “It is and forever will be a black day for our club and for sport in general.”
In addition, the club has now established a fund in order to help pay for the recovery of Sweeney, who suffered severe injuries as a result of the attack. Over the past 24 hours, the fund has raised €170. Sweeney was left requiring surgery on his jaw. It is expected he will need between six and eight weeks to recover.
The club further asserted that the reason for the delay in making a statement was “with due respect to the Sweeney family and An Garda Síochána”.
In the aftermath of the attack, Paul O’Brien, President of the ISRS, said that stronger sanctions would be introduced for teams who behave in such a violent manner.
The statement can be read in full below:
“Mullingar Town A.F.C would like to issue a formal statement regarding the events of last week, the delay in making any comments up until this period was with due respect to the Sweeney family and An Garda Síochana.
“First and foremost we wish to send our most sincere apologies to Daniel Sweeney and his family following the devastating and disgraceful attack after the game against Horsesleap United in Offaly on November 11th.
“We also want to issue our apologies to The Irish Soccer Referees Society and to Paul Malone and his fellow referees in the Midlands who take charge of games in The Combined Counties Football League every week. Mullingar Town would also like to apologise to The Football Association of Ireland and to The Minister of Sport Brendan Griffin.
“We as a club do not condone or promote the actions that occurred after the game last week. That is not who we are as a club. Mullingar Town A.F.C have been playing football for 130 years, in various leagues and cups and we pride ourselves on our core values of respect, good sportsmanship and the inclusion of all in our community. That is what we wish to instil in all of our players and how we will conduct ourselves in the future.
“We are so deeply sorry for what happened last Sunday, it is and forever will be a black day for our club and for sport in general. Mullingar Town set out that day to play a game of football and never expected or intended to be involved in an assault on a referee and once again we want to say sorry to Daniel and to his family. We wish him all the best in a hopefully quick recovery from his injuries and see him back refereeing again. We offer our support to the Sweeney family in any way that they may need it.
“We have created the “Referee Daniel Sweeney Recovery Fund” and would like to ask anyone who can to please donate to it and share it to support Daniel and his family.
“We are sorry to all that this has affected and to all who have been let down by the incident. We will strive to work hard to gain the respect of the community again.
“Martin Moore
Chairman
Mullingar Town A.F.C.”
