Posted February 7, 200718 yr Basically Jermaine Darlington quit cardiff 6 months ago, AFC Wimbledon signed him and played him, apparently, as Cardiff are an overseas club!, they should of got international clearence, they registered him as a British player,when it appears he is an international player!!!!!!!!! They were kicked out of the 1/4 final of the fa trophey, fined and docked 18 points!!! From their official site: AFC Wimbledon has been found guilty of breaching Ryman League Rule 6.1 in that Jermaine Darlington played eleven games for the club before an International Registration Certificate was obtained. Because the club was found guilty of breaching Rule 6.1 the Committee also considered Rule 6.8 which deals with playing an ineligible player. The Committee has also found AFC Wimbledon guilty of breaching Rule 6.8. As a result of these decisions, the Appeals Committee has deducted the eighteen points earned by AFC Wimbledon in the games in which Jermaine Darlington played whilst ineligible. The Committee has also fined the club ?400 and the costs of the hearing. An appeal to the FA is allowed and must be lodged within 14 days. The board of AFC Wimbledon is very disappointed with this outcome and intends to consider the options available to it. Until it has done so, there will be no further announcements. I wonder what punishment Liverpool would have received had they done the same.
February 7, 200718 yr Beat me to it, Bluenut. This is yet another f*ckin' disgrace perpetrated by the FA. After hammering Bury for a similar breach of rules, they throw the book at AFC Wimbledon. One of my best mates is an AFC fan, and he's adamant that Jermaine Darlington had already left Cardiff, and was a free agent when AFC Wimbledon signed him. Even if he was still registered with Cardiff, how the hell does that make him an 'international' player - Cardiff play in the ENGLISH league for f*ck's sake! As in the Bury situation, there was no serious misconduct here - merely an administration error, if that. AFC were fourth in the Rymans Premier League, and going strong for promotion to the Conference South. They were also in the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy and looking good. Thanks to the FA, they are now 13th in the league, and their season is over. The FA have shown themselves to be a total bunch of c*nts over this. Once again they've flexed their muscles when a small club innocently transgresses their complicated rules - there is no way that if a bigger club had done the same that they'd have faced a similar penalty. It's bullying, simple as that really.
February 7, 200718 yr Author This is the same FA that bent the rules to allow Liverpool to sign Mascherano DONT BUT THE ENGLAND KIT LAUNCHED YESTERDAY, THE ONLY THING THE FA ARE INTERESTED IN IS MONEY - HIT'EM WHERE IT HURTS! THE POCKET!
February 7, 200718 yr It sounds as if FA shows their true colors yet again. Not long ago they were the ones who bent the rules for Liverpool in their signing of Mascherano. I wonder what will happen if Chelsea does what AFC did? Ban from Premier League, a ?200 mil fine, Lampard, JM forced to go Real Madrid? A bunch af frigging
February 7, 200718 yr Author Also.... I didn't notice anything when West Ham fielded 2 players not even owned by the club
February 7, 200718 yr Also.... I didn't notice anything when West Ham fielded 2 players not even owned by the club Well officially that is being looked into now however don't hold your breath!
February 7, 200718 yr I also have a lot of mates who support AFC and this whole situation is a disgrace. Darlington had long since retired from Cardiff and was a free agent. It just happened that his registration with the Welsh FA had not yet expired so it was a technicality to get international clearance. I have no idea why Cardiff are even with the Welsh FA anyway since they play in the English League. Anyway first of all the FA throw them out of the FA trophy despite admitting in their statement that it was just an administrative error and not a serious offence. They refuse to give AFC an appeal and I believe AFC are now employing a Swiss Legal firm to try and sue the FA. I hope they have some joy but it will probably be difficult. Then the Ryman league steps in and sees a potential goldmine. You see AFC Wimbledon consistently bring 1000-1500 or more away fans to every game so I cannot see the Ryman League wanting to lose that nice earner. Problem solved. They dock them enough points to ruin the promotion challenge but not get them relegated. Ridiculous! Apparently Spurs did exactly the same thing with a player a year or so ago and got away without a punishment. How predictable to throw the book at an easy target. However on this occasion I have a feeling they may have picked on the wrong victim. AFC are run by the fans and generally well organized (administrational mishaps excepted). They are already sheming a payback and it will hurt. Not sure what yet but the fans will not forget what was done and will screw the Ryman League over at every opportunity when they get a chance. They are allowed to appeal at least and lets hope sanity will prevail here. Most AFC fans are happy enough to except a 3-6 point punishment and a fine and get on with the season. Good luck to them. I hope they get the support of all genuine football fans out there.
February 8, 200718 yr My AFC mate said exactly the same thing regarding the Ryman League - they look upon AFC as their cash-cow. As for the FA, most AFC fans still haven't forgiven them for allowing the franchise to set up in Milton Keynes. Feelings run very deep on this, and as I go up to see AFC occasionally, I'm gonna be looking at developments with great interest.
February 8, 200718 yr From the point of view of a K's fan..... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!
February 8, 200718 yr Can this be the same morally correct FA that poached Stuart Pearce for the under 21s job without asking for Man City's permission first??? surely not!
March 26, 200718 yr Well well well - common sense prevails AFC Wimbledon Penalty reduced from 18 to 3 points
March 26, 200718 yr I'm totally stunned by this news! I honestly couldn't see the FA doing anything but upholding the punishment, so this is great news for AFC Wimbledon. At just three points behind the leaders, they're still in with a great chance of promotion to the Conference South I still think the Ryman's League were trying to keep AFC in their league for financial gain, as AFC's away support is normally between 1,000 and 2,000 - big bucks to the Ryman League clubs. I'm so glad that the FA over-ruled the greedy scumbags. As you said, Loz, common sense prevails - shame it doesn't happen more often.
March 26, 200718 yr Well well well - common sense prevailsAFC Wimbledon Penalty reduced from 18 to 3 points "Common sence" and "the FA" doesn't usually mix. Good to know that they can do something good every now and then.
March 28, 200718 yr Author I think they were swayed by public opinion! Something else the FA usually never bow down to!
