A Longford senator believes GAA matches will not go ahead unless there is better protection for match officials.
The comments came following a number of violent incidents at underage and senior level club matches lately, including an assault on a referee in Roscommon.
Gardaí are investigating further incidents of violence on the sidelines in Kerry.
Speaking on the Joe Finnegan show, Senator Micheál Carrigy says if sanctions aren't tightened, referees and match officials will be lost.
"We have to respect officials that are giving their time to referee games. I know referees who are officiating two or three games a day, five days a week to make sure that all games from under 6 upwards are played at a certain level. If we don't bring in stricter sanctions on people who break these rules, we're going to lose referees".
