MINISTER FOR Sport Mary Hanafin says she is not in favour of legislation to ban pitch invasions at Croke Park.
Ms Hanafin suggested the GAA should be able to deal with crowd safety without the intervention of the Oireachtas.
GAA president Christy Cooney said last Sunday that the association had written to the Department of Sport seeking legislation to prevent pitch invasions. This follows an assault on the referee during the Leinster football final.
Ms Hanafin said yesterday it was a matter for the association to decide how to prevent pitch invasions.
“I think each of the sporting organisations should take responsibility for the safety of everybody at the game and that includes the supporters, the referee and the players.
“I’m very reluctant to go down the legislative route because legislation means enforcement and once you get into that business, it can not only disturb the atmosphere there, it can also be very difficult to enforce”.
She questioned why pitch invasions appeared only to be a problem for the GAA. “It [a pitch ban] is enforceable within the IRFU – they don’t have the problem, and the FAI don’t have the problem . . . if two of the major sports in the country can do it, I can’t see why the third can’t do it,” she said.
Dublin GAA supporters have called on the association to reconsider its decision to erect fencing on Hill 16 in Croke Park to combat pitch invasions.
The terrace is traditionally occupied by Dublin fans.
The decision was a "retrograde step", Joe Nugent of the Dublin GAA Supporters Club says in a letter in today's The Irish Times.
The fence would “impede visibility”, lead to “severe discomfort” for fans and “may lead to major crush problems at the end of finals”, Mr Nugent claims.