Joey Cunningham - father of Crossmaglen player Aaron - says he is 'shocked' by the racial abuse that was directed at his son during Sunday's Ulster Club SFC final against Kilcoo.

Cunningham senior played gaelic football for Crossmaglen and Armagh and Irish League football for Portadown during the 1980s and early 1990s.

"I'm actually more shocked now than I've probably ever been at any stage in my playing career," he is quoted as saying on the BBC Northern Ireland website.

"In the Irish League, every single week I got it, but to be honest it didn't bother me one single bit. I just played my football and I tried to answer them on the pitch and I think most times I did that.

"Life has just moved on and in Gaelic football, you just don't expect this, you really don't, because everybody knows everybody and everybody has a level of respect for each other.

"Unfortunately for the 99% of good people who support football and play football, you're always going to get that minority who just don't think."

Cunningham called on the GAA to take decisive action against anyone found guilty of racially abusing his son.

"I had a number of people from Kilcoo come to me at the end of the match and to be honest with you they were embarrassed, they were apologising and that will tell you in itself that this did happen, it's not something that is made up.

"It did happen, people heard it, high-profile people who were at the ground heard it.

"The GAA will sort this out in whatever way they see fit; all I'm asking for is honesty, I would ask for this not to be swept under the carpet." Tweet

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