 McGarvey sparked controversy among Rapid Vienna officials and fans by urging the club to apologise for what he classed as "completely disrespectful" and a "hornet's nest" in the form of their fans behaving in a manner which caused the game to be cancelled in hope of being able to get through to the next stage of the competition.In 2016, McGarvey was still playing football at the age of 60, in a five-a-sides league, when he was struck by an opponent's elbow and lost four teeth.He stated at the time that the incident had made him decide to finally give up playing the game at a competitive level.