Latest News Official Club Statement; Highland League Cup LATEST 20 Mar, 2014 The Highland Football League Management Committee have expelled Brora Rangers from the Breedon Aggregates Highland League Cup competition. This is as a result of BRFC fielding an ineligible player in the final minutes of the game v Clach. Brora were 3 goals up at the time of the substitution. This is an unprecedented sanction in the history of the competition which was established in 1946. Brora Rangers have no right of appeal to either the HFL or SFA. The decision to expel BRFC was taken on Monday 17th March by the Highland League Management Committee. No supporting reasons were provided. The club’s legal representatives have today written to the HFL asking that the decision is immediately revoked, failing which the Club will revert to court action. Key grievances: There is no precedent for expulsion Expulsion is an excessive penalty in relation to the circumstances of the infringement The decision was based on Scottish Cup rules which do not apply to this competition Voting members included teams currently in the competition and as such there is a conflict of interest. The club has no right of appeal to either HFL or SFA which denies natural justice. Decision is inconsistent with sanctions applied to other clubs. HFL currently has no sanction governing this infringement however it is completely unacceptable to apply rules pertaining to Scottish Cup and to do so on the hoof. We have not received a reason to explain the severity of sanction Statement from Club Chairman John D Young Club Chairman John Young said ‘Youngster Liam Watt was brought on in the dying minutes of the preliminary round of the Breedon Aggregates Highland League Cup v Clach. Brora were winning 3-0 at the time. We later discovered that the player had not been registered. This was due to an oversight by the club, the first such occurrence in over 20 years. ‘This decision simply beggars belief. We have been subject to a decision made behind closed doors, by rules which don’t even apply and by teams still in the competition. Of the eleven clubs who voted, six are still in the competition and this is a clear conflict of interest. And we have been denied the basic right to appeal by both HFL and SFA. There is no justice in this whatsoever. ‘‘Whilst we fully accept our error it is only right to expect any sanction to be fair. This is about fair play in sport. We have sought legal advice and will be asking the HFL to revoke their decision. We fully intend to take this all the way – our players, management and supporters deserve nothing less.’
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 18:58:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015