Kieran McGeeney: Armagh boss handed 12-week ban following Antrim game incident

Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney captained the county to its only All-Ireland SFC title in 2002

Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney has been handed a 12-week sideline ban following an alleged incident in last month's Football League game against Antrim.

The GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee imposed the ban arising from an incident involving McGeeney and linesman Joe McQuillan.

McGeeney's initial appeal has been rejected although he has two further appeal avenues.

Armagh face Down in their Ulster SFC opener against Down on 4 June.

As it stands, McGeeney will not be able to patrol the sideline in that game and the same sanction is likely to appeal in Armagh's following championship game, which will either be an Ulster semi-final or an opening All-Ireland qualifier.

McGeeney's suspension is understood to have been imposed after the CCCC viewed referee Niall Cullen's match report.

The ill-tempered match saw Antrim duo Conor Murray and Stephen Beatty and Armagh's Stephen Sheridan being sent off.

Murray has been handed a two-match ban following his red card while a further investigation into the game also saw Antrim's Matt Fitzpatrick receiving a suspension.

2002 All-Ireland winning captain McGeeney is believed to have fallen foul of GAA regulations under the rule which forbids "minor physical interference with, threatening or abusive conduct towards, or threatening language to a referee, umpire, linesman or sideline official".

The penalty for breaching that rule is a minimum 12-week ban.

Armagh beat Antrim at the Athletic Grounds on 25 March but a last-gasp defeat by Tipperary saw McGeeney's side agonisingly miss out on promotion to Division Two.