McNAMARA HAS A SWIPE AT SFA’S ‘PANTO’ VILLAINS

DUNDEE UNITED boss Jackie McNamara l ast night said he had lost faith in the ‘flawed’ SFA disciplinary process, branding it a ‘pantomime’ after Paul Paton’s controversial ban for spitting.

Tannadice midfielder Paton was bizarrely hit with a twomatch suspension despite his ‘victim’, Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes, insisting on social media that no such incident occurred.

United planned to appeal the verdict, only to find there is no right of appeal in SFA fast-track cases. The club was further incensed yesterday upon learning that, despite fighting Paton’s corner by using blown-up pictures of the incident — as well as Hayes’ robust denial on Twitter — there is no requirement for the SFA to explain the panel’s decision.

Despite initially threatening a further legal challenge against the governing body, however, United backed down and accepted that Paton will miss tomorrow’s home match with Celtic and next weekend’s trip to St Johnstone.

Last season, the Tannadice club were also left furious when striker Nadir Ciftci was banned for two games after being found guilty of ‘excessive misconduct’ by placing an open hand into the lower area of an assistant referee’s throat.

McNamara insisted Ciftci was innocent then, too, but believes the Paton case is a new low — given the lack of evidence and the very public support for Paton from Aberdeen.

‘We laughed about it the other day, saying that it is pantomime season and it’s proved to be the case,’ said McNamara.

‘We had the same problems last season. We have no trust in the system. For me, though, this is the worst. Aberdeen and the lad himself (Hayes) have come out and supported Paul.

‘There’s no grounds for appeal, we can’t do anything about it. We just have to accept it. But he’s innocent. It’s wrong that he’s been labelled with this (spitting) and we can’t question them. How dare we question them if they get it wrong? Because they are wrong — 100 per cent wrong.

‘Everyone who was at the game knows (it didn’t happen) so I don’t know how three people sitting on that panel — who have never played the game — can judge and have the final say when nobody else can question them. It’s totally wrong.’

McNamara stressed that he would have come down on Paton like a ton of bricks, had he Rough justice: McNamara is angry about Paton ban committed the offence. ‘If one of our players had spat on someone I would want them to get punished,’ he added.

‘For me, spitting is the worst thing to do to someone. But there’s no evidence to support it. The club have been punished by a system that is flawed. And the fact it’s spitting means there’s now a real slur on him.’

McNamara believes the ‘trial by television’ system has changed the nature of the game and fears things could get completely out of hand.

‘Going back to when I played, you didn’t have these panels for these things and there was no trial by television,’ he said. ‘But now someone watching the television at night can phone in and say, “I think he spat there”, or “he called him this”. Where do you draw the line?

‘But we can only say so much because if I say any more I’ll end up sitting in the stand as well.’

Dundee United had believed that, under rule 14.8.3 of the Judicial Panel Protocol: ‘ the tribunal issued a determination which it could not properly have issued on the facts of the case.’

But last night they backed down from pursuing any legal challenge.

A club spokesperson said: ‘We do feel aggrieved on the basis that, firstly, we do not believe the player is guilty, secondly, the decision cannot be appealed and, third, the player and club are not allowed to see the basis on which the panel made this judgment.

‘Rules that block the ability of players, clubs and supporters to understand such decisions seem at odds with the transparency and openness required in the modern-day game.’