Croke Park’s Hill 16 could become a seated area after recent brawl

Fans were ejected from the stadium after the fight.

Hill 16 in Croke Park could become a seated area after fans were ejected from the stadium when a brawl broke out during Monaghan's victory over Armagh. The All-Ireland quarter final between the two Ulster sides was a fiery affair on the pitch, but it boiled over on the Hill 16 stand among the fans. Footage emerged showing fans throwing punches, and exchanging blows in unsavoury scenes that proved to be a black mark on what was an exciting finish to the game. Monaghan beat Armagh on penalties to progress through to the All-Ireland semi final stages, but a spokesperson for the GAA has said that if incidents like this continue to arise, then drastic action would need to be taken.

Hill 16 could become a seated area after the brawl between Monaghan and Armagh fans. 

"The Twitter images in circulation represent unacceptable behaviour from a small number of Armagh and Monaghan supporters. The incident was monitored closely by the stadium events team at the time and there were several arrests and ejections from the terrace,” the GAA spokesperson said.

“Terraces are an important part of the atmosphere associated with GAA games. They feature all over the country and provide colour, noise, and affordable tickets.

"This type of behaviour, if left unchecked, could ultimately lead to the iconic Hill 16 converting to an uncovered stand. We appeal to all our great supporters not to let a small group of people take away an important part of our heritage,” they added.

A spokesperson for Armagh GAA said the incident is not reflective of the “thousands of fans” who follow the Orchard County’s teams.

“This matter is being dealt with by Croke Park and An Garda Siochána,” they said.

“The footage circulating on social media of a small number of people does not represent the behaviour of the thousands of fans who are a credit to our county and have travelled the country to support our county team."