Umpire and referee stabbed at youth Gaelic football game

An umpire and referee were stabbed astatine a younker Gaelic shot crippled successful County Tyrone connected Thursday evening, the Ulster GAA main enforcement has said.

Brian McAvoy said the umpire was taken to infirmary pursuing the incidental astatine Paddy Cullen Park successful Cookstown, wherever Cookstown Father Rocks under-16s were playing Fintona Pearses under-16s.

The umpire has been discharged and the referee was treated astatine the country for insignificant injuries, Mr McAvoy said.

A antheral successful his 40s has been arrested.

Mr McAvoy said helium understood that the referee, who was a volunteer, had finished the crippled and was connected his mode disconnected the transportation erstwhile helium was approached by different person.

The umpire was injured erstwhile helium intervened, Mr McAvoy said.

"I've been progressive successful GAA for implicit fractional a period and it's the archetypal clip I tin recollect thing connected this standard oregon this benignant of incident," helium told the BBC's Evening Extra programme.

"It's been a precise scary acquisition for everyone," helium added.

It's harmless to accidental that what happened present past nighttime has shocked the assemblage present successful Cookstown.

Locals are stopping to speech arsenic they locomotion by.

One pistillate described past night's events to maine arsenic "shocking and not what happens astatine the Father Rocks club".

Cookstown SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone said: "young children witnessed these events past nighttime and they'll request assistance to process what happened."

In a statement, Tyrone GAA said it was investigating the circumstances astir the incidental and was taking it "most seriously".

Cookstown Fr Rocks said its thoughts were with each of those affected.

In a connection connected Facebook it added: "The committee volition present enactment to guarantee that children and young radical who witnessed this disturbing and precise superior incidental person the enactment and assistance that they necessitate successful the coming days."

Footage of the incidental has been shared wide connected societal media.

Fintona Pearses GAA said that "all absorption is connected the payment of the children and young people" who witnessed what happened.

"Our thoughts are with those impacted," said the nine connected its Facebook page.

Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill described it arsenic a "shocking incident" and said her thoughts were with those who were injured and affected by what had happened.

"I commend the enactment that's present nether mode to assistance and enactment the young radical who wherever astatine the game," she added.

Cookstown Youth Football Club said that immoderate of its players and and their parents were contiguous erstwhile the incidental happened.

Club president Andy Kelly said determination was "no spot successful our nine for this benignant of behaviour and lone by the grace of God this incidental could person been a batch much serious".

"An under-16s game, nary substance astatine what sport, should beryllium a spot of amusement for each those determination and not 1 of information which was witnessed past night," helium said.

"Quite a fewer of our ain players and parents were determination past nighttime and arsenic a nine we volition enactment them and Father Rocks successful immoderate mode possible," helium added.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it was called conscionable aft 21:00 BST.