SOUTH Australia’s soccer club Adelaide United is set to take Football Federation SA to the world’s highest sports court.
Adelaide chairman Greg Griffin is infuriated by FFSA’s backflip on a rulingregarding the club’s NPL team.
On Wednesday night the Reds had three premiership points docked from its second-string team for playing a FIFA-registered player “who had not been placed on their player roster in accordance with the competition operating regulation 7h” on May 27 after a 5-3 win over Olympic.
Mr Griffin says Adelaide will take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after lodging an appeal with Football Federation Australia in the coming days.
Mr Griffin questioned the legality of the Wednesday night’s FFSA appeal, which was launched last week without the FFSA board ratifying the development.
“The first argument (on July 5) was by two very good lawyers for two hours, they discussed the issue, they deliberated for 25 minutes and gave a sensible judgment,’’ Mr Griffin said.
“There is a quote, ‘I’m not here to listen to legal jumbo, I’m a football man’.
FFSA's official NPL website failed to update Adelaide United's points deduction more than 12 hours after the decision had been made.“This is a tribunal that has just been put in to review a decision of another tribunal.
“It means the second tribunal can’t interfere with the first tribunal unless of a ‘manifest error’ in a ‘Wednesbury Test’.
“The only basis for interfering with the tribunal with the exercise of discretion is that no reasonable tribunal sitting in that position would have made that decision.
“They have completely ignored the law.
“We’ll go to the FFA, we’ll appeal without doubt and we’ll take this to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This is such an appalling outcome.”
FFSA operations manager Wendy Carter on Wednesday night issued a media statement declaring “the findings made by an independent disciplinary committee held on July 5, 2017 regarding the Adelaide United football club’s breach of competition operating regulations has been overturned following the appeal hearing held tonight — (Wednesday) July 26, 2017”.
As a consequence Adelaide has now forfeited its NPL game against Olympic — despite the 5-3 win.
FFSA’s official website has failed to update the new NPL table.
United’s reserves side was also forced to forfeit its clash against Olympic on May 20.
The club was also fined $1500.
Adelaide United set to take FFSA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over points deduction ruling | Adelaide Now