Page 4 - Deal Round Up December 2018

F.A. Need To Be More
Understanding
By
Hugo Varley
It was a real shame to see the FA’s decision to remove Whyteleafe from this season’s
FA Cup over what seems to have been an incredibly minor administrative mistake.
The Essex-based club were kicked out of the competition just 24 hours
before their second qualifying match against St Albans after the FA
ruled that an ineligible player had been played during an earlier round.
If their appeal is unsuccessful then it is believed that Whyteleafe will have to return
the £6000 they received for beating Corinthian Casuals in the previous round; while
a potential points deduction could also be on the cards as the ineligible player has
also represented Whyteleafe in a Bostik Division One South game this season.
In some respects I see the argument that rules are rules and if one is broken then
a club should be punished, however on occasions like this it is plainly clear that
the FA have a completely blinkered view of the realities of Non-League football.
Clubs like Whyteleafe usually rely on the work of volunteers or part-
time staff whose responsibilities stretch across numerous different duties.
It would be perfectly reasonable to expect a Football League club,
who have a fully staffed administrative department, to abide by all
regulations; however in Non-League the situation is completely different.

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