12-year ban for Dundalk junior player  

A DUNDALK junior player has been handed a 12-year ban following an assault on a referee in a match in the local Summer League.

A player from the Muirhevnamor side allegedly head-butted Brian Murphy, the chairman of the Louth Branch of the Irish Soccer Referees' Society, who abandoned the game following the incident.

The Muirhevnamor club had already suspended the player indefinitely and they also condemned his action and apologised to the referee. A player who assaults a match official is liable for a minimum suspension of five years but the Dundalk Junior League also felt the incident was serious enough to merit a ban of more than twice that length.