Tipperary native Fergal Horgan has quit inter-county refereeing and, in a parting shot, blasted the appointments system, describing it as a āfarceā. The official took charge of the 2017, ā20 and ā21 All-Ireland hurling finals but said that he felt Munster referees in particular are ānot getting a fair crack of the whipā with match appointments.
Speaking on Tipperary Mid-West Radio, he said: āItās disappointing from my point of view. Iāve worked hard over the past few years and havenāt got the appointments from Croke Park that I thought I should have got.
āNo one has a right to get any match I suppose but in the last few weeks, weāve seen referees getting appointments that didnāt pass the fitness test. Thatās not going down well with referees.ā
āI did love refereeing. But I couldnāt see why anyone would take up refereeing, unfortunately.ā
āI would personally say it to anyone who would ask me, no, definitely not. At the top level you get no support.
āIām 100% finished. Iām 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. Iām delighted to walk away with my achievements in tact but I would say to anyone that Iām disappointed with the way I was treated and I wouldnāt recommend it to anybody.ā