Paterson put out by SFA decision
Motherwell footballer Jonathan Paterson has blasted the SFA over their decision to remove Scotland’s cerebal palsy team from the World Championships in Argentina.
The governing body have decided to remove Scotland from the tournament after a rule change which allows any player with a British passport to represent a home nation of their choice.
It is believed the decision came after David Porcher opted to play for England after returning from the Rio Paralympics.
Paterson – who was given a place in the North Lanarkshire Council Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year– was left gutted by the decision.
He said: “I’m devastated for myself and my team-mates, who have given up so much to reach this level in the game.
“There’s nothing for us any more – even our next training gettogether on June 24 has been scrapped.
“I’ve overcome disability and bullying as a kid as I fought to play football before finally finding acceptance with Blackburn Boys Club in Motherwell.
“This is harder to take than all of that.
“If the SFA want to protect themselves they have to do what’s best for them but it feels as if they’re treating disabled players as second-class citizens.”
An SFA statement read:“The SFA believes continued participation in IFCPF (International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football) competitions may potentially jeopardise Scotland’s status as an independent football nation.”