FIFA boss: Banning Josh is all wrong
FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce last night claimed the SFA were ‘entirely wrong’ in their move to ban Josh Meekings from the Scottish Cup Final. The Inverness Caley Thistle centre-half will learn today whether he has been successful in challenging the onematch suspension offered by compliance officer Tony McGlennan. Meekings was charged over the hand-ball that thwarted a Leigh Griffiths effort in their semi-final victory — an incident which also prompted Celtic to write to the SFA seeking ‘an understanding’ of why no penalty and red card followed. But Northern Irishman Boyce, who is also chairman of FIFA’s referees committee, believes the only potential punishment should be levelled at match referee Steven McLean and his assistants. ‘This sets a very dangerous precedent, I am absolutely, 100 per cent against the compliance
officer becoming involved because the referee’s decision is final,’ said Boyce. ‘It is a totally different matter if someone has gone over the top, or committed a serious foul, or head-butted someone and the referee has missed it. ‘Those are disciplinary issues. But what happened here is that the referee has made a mistake regarding a hand-ball and that’s the end of it. There is no way the player should now be disciplined for that. ‘Who is to say it was even intentional? If the Scottish FA or their referees committee decide that they feel a serious mistake was made then they could take action in the future against that referee. ‘The only punishment, if any punishment at all is due, should be made if the Scottish FA feel the officials in charge of this game acted improperly and made the wrong decision.’ The SFA’s disciplinary rules provide scope for action against sendingoff offences not seen by the referee, including denying the opposition a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity. And former compliance officer Vincent Lunny believes Meekings should brace himself to miss the showpiece against Falkirk on May 30. ‘Look at the different options — any way you look at it, he would have missed the final,’ said Lunny. ‘I suppose it’s natural to feel sympathetic for a player who is potentially missing out on a place in the Scottish Cup Final, which might be a oncein-a-lifetime chance. ‘But if Steven McLean had seen it at the time, he’d have been sent off and he’d be missing the final had Inverness gone on to win; and if he (Meekings) hadn’t done it, Celtic would have scored and there’s a good chance they would have gone on to win, so again Josh Meekings would have missed the final. ‘I think it will be an uphill struggle, especially after (Inverness manager) John Hughes’s comments on the radio saying it was a sending-off matter.’