Meath boss Andy McEntee claimed that Conor McGill was spat on in the face against Kildare in today's NFL Division 2 semi-final.
Royals boss McEntee was fuming after his side's three-point loss at St Conleth's Park as both McGill and Brian Conlon were sent off on claims of striking.
An incident occurred deep in injury time in a contest that saw Kildare pip Meath for a place in the top flight next season.
"Don’t talk to me about the sending off," said McEntee.
“We had a player who got spat on in the face and he ends up getting sent off so I mean…how many players were involved in that? A) how many players were involved in it, and B) who started it? And what was the outcome?
“Conor McGill is not a fighter. Somebody spits in your face, what are you going to do?”
Apart from the red cards, ref Barry Cassidy also showed yellow cards to Meath keeper Andy Colgan and Ethan Devine for their alleged part in the melee that broke out as a result of the incident, with Kildare replacement Alex Beirne also booked.
“It seems slightly imbalanced to me,” McEntee said. “But obviously I’m biased.
"There’s no appealing it, you’re wasting your time appealing. That’s always been my experience. If the referee says he struck, he struck.”
The Royals will face either Carlow or Longford on July 4 in the Leinster championship but with those red carded players facing suspension, Meath are also waiting for news on experienced duo Donal Keogan and Bryan Menton.
McEntee revealed that Keogan may have suffered an AC joint separation.
"That doesn't look good," he admitted, while Menton only has three weeks to recover from ankle ligament damage.
