Down assistant manager DJ Kane will again confined to the stands when his side face Armagh this weekend after an appeal to overturn his six-month ban failed.
Kane was handed the extended ban by the Central Competitions Control Committee for his apparent involvement, when already under suspension, during the drawn Ulster football quarter-final against Tyrone earlier this month.
Kane went before the Central Hearings Committee last night but the 24-week suspension proposed by the CCCC was upheld.
The double All-Ireland winner may yet appeal to the Central Appeals Committee and, if necessary, the Disputes Resolution Authority but is unlikely to be involved during Sunday's semi-final in Clones.