Limerick boss John Kiely has apologised for accusing Galway players of simulation during last Sunday’s Allianz Hurling League tie between the counties.
Speaking after the game, which brought Limerick’s first defeat since July 2019, Kiely said that there were “some clear examples of simulation there today, a couple were very embarrassing”.
However, after reviewing the match since, the two-time All-Ireland winning manager says that he was wide of the mark and has retracted the comments.
He said:
“I should have paid more attention to my own performance and that of the team than to the opposition.
“At the time I was of the opinion that I had seen an incident that I wasn’t happy with. It was late in the game and very much to the forefront of my thoughts after the game.
“But over the last two days, I’ve been going through the video footage of the game and have had a very clear sight of those incidents I referred to. The bottom line is that what I thought I had seen was absolutely not the case,” Kiely told the Irish Examiner.
He continued:
“I wish to wholeheartedly retract those comments with regard to Galway and to apologise for them. It’s important that I set the record straight now that I’m certain that what I saw was not what I believed I had seen.
“We’ve had a fantastic relationship with the Galway players and management over the last number of years. We’ve had some fantastic battles, and I’ve known their current management team, Shane O’Neill and John Fitzgerald, for a long time and have tremendous respect for them.
“I want to apologise to them for any insinuation that might have been inferred from my comments last Sunday.”
Galway’s win at Pearse Stadium ended a four-game losing streak against Limerick, including the 2018 All-Ireland final and last year’s semi-final and they are expected to be one of the main challengers to Kiely’s side this year.
