Stephen O’Donnell claims the Showgrounds bust-up between St Pat’s and Sligo Rovers was a storm in a teacup.
But he questioned why the optics can look different when similar incidents happen in other sports.
“I think when it happens in the GAA everyone says ‘great craic and look at the passion of the teams,” the Saints boss said yesterday.
“But in soccer, it’s a mass brawl, it’s a scandal and there should be lads arrested.”
Multiple St Pat’s and Sligo Rovers players and coaches became embroiled in a feisty clash at the end of the 2-0 win to Sligo a fortnight ago.
It happened inside the tunnel after the game and was captured in all its glory by TV cameras before immediately going viral on social media.
But O'Donnell confirmed that there have been no suspensions dished out arising from the ugly incident.
“Probably the footage looked a lot worse than what it was,” he said ahead of Friday’s top-of-the-table clash with Shamrock Rovers at Richmond Park.
“Maybe because there were so many people, there was pushing and shoving.”
But O’Donnell revealed that St Pat’s will be appealing Sam Bone’s red card in Friday’s FAI Cup quarter-final win over Wexford.
Bone - who will miss the semi-final as it stands - was one of FIVE players that referee Derek Tomney sent off in his last two matches
The general standard of officials has been a hot debate in recent weeks with Waterford and Drogheda managers Marc Bircham and Tim Clancy most vocal in hitting out.
And O’Donnell said: “There have been a lot of headlines regarding officiating. No one is saying reffing is an easy job.
“I want every decision to go St Patrick’s Athletic’s way on the sideline but sitting up in the stands, when you have a clear head and watching a ref’s performance, is easy.
“It’s tough when you’re down in the middle and the game is fast-paced. There are tackles and split-second decisions.
“They are coming under a lot of pressure, which, you could say, is unfair.
“It’s like players coming into a game, if they’re getting a lot of heat it’s not a great place mentally to be going into matches.
“I suppose what everyone is looking for is 50/50 down the middle in regards to decision-making in any given game.”
But O’Donnell believes the number of cards being shown to managers is becoming a cause for concern.
He continued: “You look at the Premier League and every main league in the world, you rarely see a manager get yellow carded or red carded. It doesn’t happen.
“I don’t think that’s because managers are a lot more polite in England or wherever. They’ve been firing out cards to management all too easily and that can be looked at.
“But it’s an emotional game and would be worse if everyone turned up and it was like a morgue and there were no emotions involved. Every game takes on a life of its own.”
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