WHAT A JOKE
Hearts and Thistle rage as SFA dish out charge
HEARTS and Partick Thistle say they have been left ‘incredulous’ after being hit with an SFA charge over their SPFL dispute.
And they yesterday accused Hampden powerbrokers of acting with ‘oppressive’ haste in firing off charges against both clubs — without waiting for a verdict in the £10million case with the potential to turn Scottish football upside down.
The demand that both clubs provide written submissions in response to the Notice of Complaint, raised as a result of taking the SPFL to the Court of Session, by July 20 has caused fury within the corridors of power at Tynecastle and Firhill.
At that stage, the SFA’s own independent arbitral tribunal will still be hearing evidence related to the controversial vote to end the
2019-20 season without playing the campaign out in full. Hearts and Thistle both argue that their relegations, from the Premiership and Championship respectively, were unlawful. And, privately, they find it astonishing that they are being pulled up on a charge now — when they might still be proved right on the biggest issue to emerge from the lockdown crisis. Their ultimate goal is to have relegation overturned, forcing the SPFL into a hasty redrawing of the divisions — including denying Dundee United, Raith Rovers and Cove Rangers their respective promotions. Failing that, Hearts have lodged a claim for £8m in damages, with Partick petitioning for £2m plus costs.
The clubs have now united to demand that the latest disciplinary process be rescheduled until the main issue is settled, a joint statement declaring: ‘We are incredulous to have received a Notice of Complaint from the SFA in the circumstances. ‘It is oppressive of them to require submissions from both clubs by July 20 when we are, in terms of their own articles of association, actively engaged in arbitration. ‘As our focus must be squarely on that, we have already requested the SFA to review the timing to allow us to be properly prepared and represented. That is the very least we should expect from the process.’ The hearing into Partick and Hearts is provisionally scheduled for August 6, with both clubs in the dock for breaking SFA disciplinary rule 78: ‘No member or Associated Person shall take a dispute which is referable to arbitration in terms of Article 99 to a court of law except as expressly permitted by the terms of Article 99’. Although both clubs clearly broke regulations by taking the SPFL to the Court of Session, only for Lord Clark to rule that the case must go to SFA arbitration, Hearts and Thistle are expected to mount a vigorous defence against the complaint. Regardless of verdict, and despite the scale of punishments available to the SFA in extreme cases, neither club is even remotely likely to have their membership suspended — or face a particularly punitive fine. The three-person independent arbitral panel sitting in judgment on the relegation issue is expected to be pulled together from a list of candidates over the coming days, with a verdict expected at the end of next week.