Fielding of an Ineligible Player - Rising Sun |
Monday 17th July 2006 |
The League has found that, during the season that has just ended, Rising Sun fielded a player who was registered with the HKFA and who played several matches in the HKFA Second Division. This is in breach of rule 22.
Under Disciplinary Guideline 2, the penalty for playing an ineligible player is a deduction of 3 points and 3 goals, as well as a $500 fine in respect of each match in which the player concerned took part.
As the player in question took part in 14 matches, Rising Sun are nominally subject to a deduction of 42 points and 42 goals, plus a $7,000 fine.
Given the seriousness of the offence, and in view of the fact that Rising Sun were relegated from the Second Division last season with 20 points, rather than start them in the Third Division next season with -22 points, the League has decided that Rising Sun should be further relegated to the Fourth Division for the coming season. They will start on 0 points, the same as the other teams in the Division.
The fine of $7,000 will stand.
There have been suggestions that Rising Sun might have played the same player in previous seasons whilst the player was registered with the HKFA, notably in 2004-05 when they won the Third Division championship. The League has considered whether this would justify taking action to strip Rising Sun of the title of Third Division champions for that year.
Under rule 59, ExCo may vary punishments in cases that have a direct bearing on prizes, taking into consideration whether or not the rules were broken for the purpose of obtaining an unfair advantage. As there is no evidence that Rising Sun deliberately sought an unfair advantage, even if the ineligible player was found to have played in 2004-05, the League considers that it would not be appropriate to strip the team retrospectively of their Third Division title for that year.
Furthermore, as a general principle, bearing in mind that there are regular changes in many aspects of the rules, including those relating to registration, the League would tend not to review possible breaches stretching back over more than one season unless there were exceptional reasons for doing so.
Wilson Hon
Secretary, Yau Yee League.
|
|
|
|