The disputed goal immediately turned the end of the match into one of the ugliest scenes in modern Gaelic football. As Meath celebrated, Louth supporters poured onto the pitch and chased referee Martin Sludden. At least four fans physically struck or assaulted him, while a man in a red shirt shoved Sludden in the chest before being followed by television cameras as he fled. The referee, described afterward by Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna as being very shaken, had to be hurried from the field under Garda escort. Violence spread beyond the referee: Meath substitute Mark Ward was hit by a Louth supporter, bottles were thrown from the stands, and a steward was struck by a soft-drinks bottle and required medical attention. Children in the stadium were left crying, and former Meath manager Seán Boylan became involved in an altercation with an angry Louth fan in a corporate box. Louth manager Peter Fitzpatrick, despite being devastated by the decision, intervened on the field and physically urged supporters to stop. GAA president Christy Cooney called the incident a watershed moment and promised life bans for those who attacked Sludden. The violence was condemned by politicians, players, commentators, and the Gaelic Players Association, while the GAA sought to identify the attackers. The match was never replayed, even though Sludden admitted in his report that he had made a terrible mistake and public pressure overwhelmingly favored Louth. The final consequently became remembered both as a notorious refereeing error and as a warning about crowd violence and the lack of goal-line technology in Gaelic games.
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