Tipperary hurling coach Tommy Dunne is facing a three-month ban, arising out of a verbal altercation with referee Johnny Murphy at the start of the second half of Sunday's Munster SHC first round match against Waterford in Walsh Park.
Dunne was shown a red card by Murphy as the teams re-emerged after the interval, keeping him off the sideline for the second half.
But it has since emerged that Murphy has reported him for abuse consistent with a Category 5 infraction for which the minimum penalty is a three-month ban.
Dunne and Tipperary have received notification of the proposed penalty and he will have an opportunity to challenge it at a hearing, an opportunity Tipperary officials have said they will take, given the severity of the ban.
Murphy initially appeared to yellow card Dunne but as the exchange continued he showed red.
Tipperary manager Colm Bonnar lamented Dunne's absence for the second half.
“He was a huge loss on the sideline because he has huge energy and a big voice,” said Bonnar.
“When you’re in a hostile place like Walsh Park, you need someone like that on the sideline and he was driving us on and driving everything. The players have huge respect for him and they respond to all his calls."
