By Jackie Cahill
Jason Forde has lost his appeal against the one-match suspension that will rule him out of Sunday’s Munster senior hurling quarter-final against Cork.
The Silvermines clubman took his case to the GAA’s Central Appeals Committee at Croke Park but the decision to suspend him for one game was upheld on Tuesday night.
Forde was accompanied by county board secretary Tim Floyd and while it was felt that the versatile former minor and U21 team captain had a good case, CAC officials backed the decision of the Central Hearings Committee to suspend the player for ‘contributing to a melee.’
Forde clashed with Wexford manager Davy Fitzgerald during last month’s Allianz Hurling League quarter-final at Wexford Park.
He was initially handed a proposed two-match ban by the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) for ‘assault’ of an opposing team mentor.
That infraction was not proven at CHC level but Forde was hit with the lesser ‘contributing to a melee’ charge.
Forde and Tipperary now have the option of taking their case the final step, to the independent Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA).
But as things stand, Tipperary manager Michael Ryan will have to plan without Forde for the weekend's championship opener at Semple Stadium, unless there is an eleventh hour reprieve at DRA level.