Sporting BJD docked 10 points and fined following referee assault
Sporting BJD have been fined €500 and docked 10 points following an incident in which a referee was assaulted by a club member earlier this month following a review by the North Eastern Football Leagues.
The player involved in the incident has also received a ban.
The incident, which happened after 85 minutes of a game against Dundalk side Bay FC, saw the referee requiring medical attention after a 'kung fu style kick'.
A statement from the NEFL said that they have "decided to hand the named individual from Sporting BJD, who was named on the management team sheet, an automatic ban, plus two matches as per FAI recommendations."
They also said that the FAI is waiting on "the outcome of this hearing and respect in full the FAI Disciplinary Unit process".
The also condemned the behaviour and all forms of abuse against match officials and emphasised their importance to the future of the game.
"We take all assaults against match officials, whether it be verbal or physical, in a serious manner and will try to take in all accounts in these cases.
"As a league, we haven’t faced anything like this before and we hope that we never see this type of behaviour again. We as a sporting body respect our referees and the position they play in our matches and the league as a whole. Without our match officials, there would be no games in the league."
Sporting BJD has been contacted to comment on the 10-point deduction and €500 fine, but has not yet responded.
In a previous statement, it said it was “extremely disappointed” at what happened during the game, and added it would fully cooperate with the investigation into the violent incident.
“All at Sporting Ballyjamesduff FC are extremely disappointed at last night’s actions vs Bay FC,” said the club committee.
"The club will handle this situation with the utmost seriousness and action will be taken. The club will be making no further comment at this time.”