Rovers won’t appeal points deduction by FAI’s DCU

SLIGO Rovers have vowed to move on from the controversial deduction of points by the FAI’s Disciplinary Control Unit (DCU).

The FAI’s independent disciplinary committee deemed that Rovers fielded a suspended player – midfielder Adam McDonnell – in their SSE Airtricity League Premier Division home fixture against Dundalk on Monday, August 29. Rovers won that game 2-0.

But the sanction imposed by the FAI means that Rovers have been stripped of that result at The Showgrounds. The game has been awarded to Dundalk and denoted in the season’s records as a 3-0 win for the Louth club.

Rovers argued that it received “contradictory communication” from the FAI regarding McDonnell’s possible one-match suspension due. They maintained that any error on their part was due to conflicting information.

This points deduction, which was announced on Wednesday of last week, was a major blow for Rovers in their bid to earn a place in Europe next season by finishing in the top four.

A statement issued by the club said it was “disappointed” with the outcome of the FAI Disciplinary Control Unit hearing on the matter.

“While we understand and admit that an error was made on the club’s behalf, the issue was contributed to by the omission of the player’s name from two weekly suspension lists issued by the FAI to all clubs, which led to confusion.

“As a club we will move on from this,” the statement added.

In that statement – released on September 7 – Rovers said that they would seek legal advice on the sanction issued.

Club chairman Tommy Higgins, speaking on Ocean FM, said: “There was a lot of confusion with emails but ultimately it was the club’s responsibility. “We have to accept that. We have put measures in place so that it won’t happen again. I also think there is an onus on the legislators to make everything less confusing.

“We will recover from this setback – there is an awful lot to look forward to in the coming years. We have to move on from it.”

He added that the club made an unsuccessful appeal regarding the FAI decision.