Top referee reveals he mistakenly awarded crucial free against Mayo in 2024 Connacht final

A leading GAA referee has admitted to mistakenly awarding a crucial free to Galway in the closing moments of last year’s Connacht final triumph over Mayo.

In a conversation with Grainne McElwain on “Réiteoir!”, which will be aired on RTÉ on Thursday, David Gough looked back on the moment where he wrongly penalised Mayo forward Conor Loftus for overcarrying the ball, which resulted in a Galway free kick.

Goalkeeper Conor Gleeson pointed the long range free, ultimately sealing the Nestor Cup for Galway, completing an historic three-peat.

Gough, a two-time All Ireland final referee, revealed that he has been working with a psychologist following the aforementioned error.

He said: “I gave Galway the free and it was wrong. Mayo deserved it. That was difficult for me and it still bothers me.

“I am still talking to the psychologist about the negative mindset I have because of that foul and I’m still worried that it will happen again.”

He also revealed that following a separate error in the 2016 All-Ireland semi final, he learned that he should not read comments that people made about him in the aftermath of the decision.

“After talking to the psychologist, I don’t care what people say about me. The only people who are important to me are my umpires, the other referees and my family,” he added.