Shane Long Suspended (Merged)

[Ash]

Not sure if I heard this 100% correctly, just caught the end of the
TodayFM sports report on ther way into work.

Said something about Shane Long was actually suspended for the
Slovakia game he sat on the bench for and this new revelation may
overturn the 2-2 draw in favour of a 3-0 home win.

Also, he pulled out of the Cyprus squad with a mystery injury as he
was actually suspended for that game but they had already named
him in the squad!

[Colbert Report]

I haven't heard anything about this. He did not dress for Reading on the weekend so I'd say he really is injured.

[eirebhoy]

Suspended for what? He only played 2 games for us before the 2-2 game and never got booked.

[Eire06]

He was suspended for cards he picked up at underage level.

[eirebhoy]

He was suspended for cards he picked up at underage level.
Well then I presume they're talking about the Slovakia 1-0 game rather than the 2-2 game?

I remember he got a 5 match ban for spitting but how does that work? You could put a case that he's eligible for the U19s, U21s and seniors. Does he have to wait until 5 U19 matches are played before he can play for Ireland again?

[as_i_say]

I think Stan is gone already regardless of this latest installment of possible muppetry.

[gspain]

His 5 match ban was sometime in 2006 i think after being sent off v Turkey.

If true this would have to relate to the home game v Slovakia. Still very bad news if true and it would be an almighty cockup by somebody.

[RiffRaff]

Hardly Stans fault if it is true. Somebody in FAI admin should have spotted this.

[macdermesser]

Hardly Stans fault if it is true. Somebody in FAI admin should have spotted this.

admin ..ffs... always blame the little guy

[Jofspring]

Its in todays papers aswell about it. a 3-0 result won't be given to Slovakia because Long didn't actually come off the bench but supposedly he was suspended for it and if he made an appearance in the match (the 2-2 draw) the 3 points would have been given to Slovakia. If this turns out to be 100% true it'll be one of the biggest **** ups ever or will have been close to being one of the biggest **** ups ever anyway.

[macdermesser]

Its in todays papers aswell about it. a 3-0 result won't be given to Slovakia because Long didn't actually come off the bench but supposedly he was suspended for it and if he made an appearance in the match (the 2-2 draw) the 3 points would have been given to Slovakia. If this turns out to be 100% true it'll be one of the biggest **** ups ever or will have been close to being one of the biggest **** ups ever anyway.

Shane Long did play against Slovakia at home .. nearly scored twice .. or when did the suspension start .. I'm confused at this stage.

[Jofspring]

Shane Long did play against Slovakia at home .. nearly scored twice .. or when did the suspension start .. I'm confused at this stage.


It wasn't the home match it was the 2-2 draw over there as far as i know.....all this is very confusing alright.

[gspain]

Shane Long picked up the 5 match suspension well over a year ago playing for the U19s.

It can only have still applied in March as we played 3 U19 games in May and he'd already served 3 games of the ban in Sept 2006.

The story must relate to the March game. If true it is a monumental cockup by somebody in the FAI. This is unlikely to be Staunton's fault unless he missed a fax.

[NeilMcD]

Its a bit mad that it has only come up now.

[as_i_say]

Hello 5th seed for the world cup should we lose to wales. Can things get any worse?

[NeilMcD]

I dont think the FIFA Rankings work like that "as I say"

[jbyrne]

Hello 5th seed for the world cup should we lose to wales. Can things get any worse?

think we almost guaranteed 3rd seed status at this stage

[as_i_say]

yeah you're right. got a fright there. still how could we be guaranteed 3rd seed if we finish 5th-surely a 5th place finish will see us plummet down the rankings though.

[gspain]

yeah you're right. got a fright there. still how could we be guaranteed 3rd seed if we finish 5th-surely a 5th place finish will see us plummet down the rankings though.

The rankings are based on the FIFA rankings not on your group position. You really shouldn't believe everything a certain muppet says in postmatch interviews.

If Slovakia are awarded a 3-0 win then I assume this will retrospectively be represented in the rankings also. We could well slip to 4th seeds as the rankings are quite volatile.

[NeilMcD]

He wont be Tuff they are sacking him tomorrow. Ding Dong the Witch is Dead.

[macdermesser]

where does the buck end again? This could work its way all the way up to Mr. Delaney ..

[elroy]

where does the buck end again? This could work its way all the way up to Mr. Delaney ..

According to the Sindo yesterday the FAI can afford a top manager as it is currently in a good financial position, thanks mainly to the work of delaney.

However, the Sun or the people (cant remember which) went with the headline that the fai cant afford to sack stan as it is struggling to make its contribution to the LR project.

Make of both headlines what you will........

[charliesboots]

Just to clarify this for people.

The ban was for 5 games after he was sent off at U19 level. Long served a one game ban at U19 level then three games of the ban when at U21 level. When promoted to the senior squad he had two games to serve.

Bans coming from underage level apply to the level the player is eligible for or if a game at a higher level (senior squad in this case) takes place within 24 hours of a game at that level.

This means that Long was only suspended for the two senior games that took place within 24 hours of an U21 competitive game which were the Slovakia in September (where he was on the bench) and last Wednesday against Cyprus (when he withdrew with an "injury").

Bloody confusing but still no excuse for people not being aware of it in the FAI

[eirebhoy]

Apparantly he was given a 1 match U19 ban and a 4 match U21 ban (because he would have been too old for the U19s). He wasn't actually banned for any senior games but according the rules "a player serving a suspension at one level cannot represent his country at another level within 24 hours". That's according to The Star.

[jbyrne]

However, the Sun or the people (cant remember which) went with the headline that the fai cant afford to sack stan as it is struggling to make its contribution to the LR project.


makey-up “journalism” again. the FAI will be about 50% towards raising its contribution of €60m by the end of this year

the real truth is they cant afford to not sack stan as the empty seats at our upcoming spring friendlys, should he still be in charge, would be a far bigger loss alone. a new manager would easily add the cost of paying stan off (rumoured to be €500k) onto the gate for our next home match

[Irish_Praha]

makey-up “journalism” again. the FAI will be about 50% towards raising its contribution of €60m by the end of this year

the real truth is they cant afford to not sack stan as the empty seats at our upcoming spring friendlys, should he still be in charge, would be a far bigger loss alone. a new manager would easily add the cost of paying stan off (rumoured to be €500k) onto the gate for our next home match

I don't know the figures in relation to their contribution of €60m but it sounds right that more than €500k would be lost if Stan is still in charge. That's about 10,000 normal tickets and a new manager* would easily attract 10,000 more punters to the game.

[pineapple stu]

Must have mis-heard, Ash, 'cos there's nothing on the internet anywhere that I can find.

Obviously not Staunton's fault if it is true.

[Jerry The Saint]

Just to clarify this for people.

The ban was for 5 games after he was sent off at U19 level. Long served a one game ban at U19 level then three games of the ban when at U21 level. When promoted to the senior squad he had two games to serve.

Bans coming from underage level apply to the level the player is eligible for or if a game at a higher level (senior squad in this case) takes place within 24 hours of a game at that level.

This means that Long was only suspended for the two senior games that took place within 24 hours of an U21 competitive game which were the Slovakia in September (where he was on the bench) and last Wednesday against Cyprus (when he withdrew with an "injury").


Could you imagine some poor fecker trying to explain all that to Staunton :eek:

[soccerc]

Must have mis-heard, Ash, 'cos there's nothing on the internet anywhere that I can find.

Obviously not Staunton's fault if it is true.

It's very true. Not the first time it's happened with FAI administration as we we played a suspended Liam Miller in an U21 game back in 2003.

[geysir]

Could you imagine some poor fecker trying to explain all that to Staunton :eek:

I'm with Stan, I don't understand the fuss. The home game against Slovakia was our 5th or 6th game.
He was sent off in May 2006 ?
Surely there have been enough u21 and senior games to cover the suspension since that time?

[gspain]

It's very true. Not the first time it's happened with FAI administration as we we played a suspended Liam Miller in an U21 game back in 2003.

Do you know the expected outcome soccerc? Are we going to get away with it?

[soccerc]

Do you know the expected outcome soccerc? Are we going to get away with it?

I suspect there will be a little spin absolving the current administration from any wrongdoing ;)

[gspain]

I suspect there will be a little spin absolving the current administration from any wrongdoing ;)


Naturally Fran Rooney was responsible. ;)

I'm just wondering if we'll escape having results reversed and points deductions. It could affect our world rankings and seedings for WC 2010.

[Dotsy]

According to Irish Times this morning we have got a fine and Long suspended for next 3 senior games. UEFA spokesman said there had been some confusion. Sounds like an admission that it wasn't only the FAI's fault.

[tetsujin1979]

Pretty much what it says here: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/long-fiasco-could-have-cost-qualifying-points-1202460.html

On reflection, UEFA has confirmed that they recognise how the FAI came to the conclusion they did because of the content of the correspondence received from UEFA.

Sad state of affairs when the FAI make UEFA look incompetent!

[geysir]

So I guess the logic of UEFA's rule is that Long was suspended for 5 underage games and we can't all of a sudden say he is a senior international and work off his suspension in the senior games.
And that explains how he was allowed to play in the home game against Slovakia because there was no u21 game in the 24 hour period.

[macdermesser]

According to Irish Times this morning we have got a fine and Long suspended for next 3 senior games. UEFA spokesman said there had been some confusion. Sounds like an admission that it wasn't only the FAI's fault.

3 match suspension .. that's pretty harsh on Long who is hardly to blame here. FAI should get a hefty fine and that be the end of the matter. Hope the ban includes friendlies .. as come next campaign, Long might be the main man up front

[geysir]

3 match suspension .. that's pretty harsh on Long who is hardly to blame here. FAI should get a hefty fine and that be the end of the matter. Hope the ban includes friendlies .. as come next campaign, Long might be the main man up front

In the IT "The Football Association of Ireland has been fined and Shane Long suspended for an extra game"
So obviously he has to do his original suspension properly to the full and one game on top of that.
Then shouldn't the suspension follow the u21 games.
He should be eligible when the u21's are not playing?

[gspain]

In the IT "The Football Association of Ireland has been fined and Shane Long suspended for an extra game"
So obviously he has to do his original suspension properly to the full and one game on top of that.
Then shouldn't the suspension follow the u21 games.
He should be eligible when the u21's are not playing?

Can somebody with a sub please post the IT article?

It's possible that it is different in different editions too.

An extra game would be ok as we play Wales 24 hours after the U21 game in Montenegro. 3 would be very harsh and rule him out of 2 WC qualifiers.

[geysir]

He would be suspended for the Wales Game if it is the day after the u21 game, no question.

Long to pay for FAI's error
Emmet Malone

News : The Football Association of Ireland has been fined and Shane Long suspended for an extra game as a result of an administrative error that led to the Reading striker being named as a substitute for the European Championship qualifier in Slovakia when he was actually suspended for the game.

The 20 year-old didn't come on in the match which Ireland drew 2-2 but that appears to have been more a matter of luck than design with Steve Staunton and the FAI only discovering afterwards he should not have been included in the squad for the game.

Suspended players are prohibited from being on the bench and his presence there might have cost Ireland a points deduction but Uefa has apparently accepted the situation was not made clear to the FAI. At its September 20th meeting the federation's disciplinary committee, of which FAI chief executive John Delaney is a member, settled for the imposition of an undisclosed fine and extension of the player's ban instead.

Long's case is a rather complicated one as the five-match suspension was imposed as a result of his sending off and reaction to it during a competitive under-19 game early last year. He served the first part of the ban within a number of days but the manner in which the rest was to be accounted for was affected by his graduations to the Irish under-21 squad, then to the seniors.

Players suspended at one level cannot play for their country at another level in the 24 hours either side of a competitive game played by the team from which they are suspended. As the striker's ban automatically followed him to under-21 level, this means Long was free to play for the senior international team provided the under-21s did have a competitive game within a day of the game, as they did the night before the match in Slovakia when the under-21s played Portugal in Cork.

The FAI insisted yesterday it had sought clarification with regard to the matter and acted on the basis of the information received.

"When Shane Long was first called into the squad for the Euro 2008 qualifier against San Marino last February," said an FAI spokesman yesterday, "the FAI checked his eligibility with Uefa and was assured he was free to play at senior level as his suspension only applied to underage games.

"Once the association became aware after the game in Slovakia there was a problem with the player's eligibility for certain matches it immediately contacted Uefa for clarification."

A spokesman for Uefa yesterday conceded there had been some confusion but Long will be out for the game against Wales in Cardiff and two future senior games.

[gspain]

Thanks the article is contradictory.

First it states an extra game eg Wales.

At the end it states Wales and 2 further games.

[gspain]

Actually on firther thoughts maybe not

He had served 3 games and 2 to serve.

Sloavakia away may not count.

If he got 1 extra game from UEFA then he had 3 still to serve.

Wales is one and 2 further games. however he was pulled from the Cyprus squad so that should count.

Then will the England away U21 game count in February eventhough the senior game 24 hours later will be a friendly. Will Montenegro home and the subsequent senior game in March count?

[geysir]

Fair point, looks like nothing counts after the infringement in the home game against Slovakia, maybe Delaney had much on his mind and got distracted.

At the end of the article it states that UEFA say he will be out for the next 3 senior games. So that means the suspension is no longer linked to the u21 games?
More questions than answers.

[CollegeTillIDie]

Apparently the instructions from UEFA regarding the suspension were less than clear which is why the FAI got off relatively lightly.

[Stuttgart88]

I've been away for over a week and am catching up but haven't noticed anything on the Shane Long "injury" cover up.

Absoute farce.

Reading 2 Newcastle United 1: Ireland rumpus overshadows Long's impact
By James Corrigan
Published: 29 October 2007

Like any good professional, Shane Long likes to do what he is told. A few weeks ago he went along with an apparent cover-up that would help his country's cause, or so he thought, and on Saturday he scored the winning goal within 10 seconds of coming on as a substitute. No questions asked, but a few answers given.

The one that may yet cost John Delaney, the Football Association of Ireland's chief executive, his job – so soon after he relieved Steve Staunton of his – was Long's admission that the powers-that-be informed him that they were going to tell the media that the reason for his withdrawal from the squad to face Cyprus was a groin injury.

In fact, this was a completely fictitious medical bulletin as the Reading manager, Steve Coppell, later confirmed and the real factor behind Long's hasty exit was down to a suspension rumpus.

It is a complex case, but basically what happened was that Long was on the bench in last month's international against Slovakia when he should not have been. A five-match ban he picked up in an under-19s international counted for that match as well as for the qualifier against Cyprus.

Because Long did not come on against Slovakia the FAI were only fined by Uefa, but would have lost a point if he had played just one second. Fearing an outcry, the Irish camp felt obliged to invoke the phantom injury and the 20-year-old was persuaded to go along with it. "I was told all right, yeah, but I think they have their reasons for everything and I just said OK, fair enough, and let's get on with it," said Long. "I just kept my head down and concentrated on my football back here."

Alas, the affair has resurfaced and the recriminations will inevitably follow. Delaney has refused to comment saying it would be "inappropriate" when "there is a review in process", but whatever happens it is only fair that Long will escape punishment. The manner in which he sprinted on to the Madejski turf on Saturday to steal in behind the Newcastle defence and fire it into the roof of net, certainly suggested a young man with not a care in the world.



Sorry - just noticed thread on p2. Mods - can u pls delete?

[John83]

Sorry - just noticed thread on p2. Mods - can u pls delete?
Just merge it. While we're there, the following article is was published in the current STIG.


A Tale of Two Suspensions

Shane Long was an unused substitute in Ireland's match against Slovakia last September. It turns out that he was suspended for that game as a result of his being sent off against Turkey in an under 19s game in May 2006. Suspensions from this level carry over into under 21s games but not senior internationals. However, when a player is suspended from an under 21s game, he is automatically suspended from playing a senior international within 24 hours of the underage game. So, because Shane Long was suspended from playing for Ireland under 21s against Portugal the night before the senior match, he was automatically suspended from the senior game against Slovakia.

When this issue came to light, the FAI appealed for leniency from UEFA because of the complicated nature of the rules and, importantly, because the FAI had asked UEFA if Long was suspended and were wrongly told that he was not. Since the mistake was largely on UEFA's part, the FAI was let away with a fine and an increase in Long's suspension, a reduced punishment from the potential to deduct Ireland points from our European Championship qualification group.

It is interesting to compare this to the situation last year where the boot was on the other foot. During last season the eircom league, which is now a part of the FAI, failed to inform Shamrock Rovers that Paul Shiels was suspended for a game against Dundalk in July 2006 and informed Bohs three times (once by email and twice by telephone) that Jason McGuinness was not suspended for a game against Shelbourne around the same time. Both players played these games and both clubs were deducted three league points. The FAI was required to adjudicate both of these cases and concluded that the points deductions should stand as it is the responsibility of the clubs to be aware of player suspensions and not the responsibility of the governing authority to correctly inform them.

It is an impressive ability to hold two contradictory opinions and believe strongly in both of them.

[geysir]

That's a good one, another FAI funny incident.

One difference is that Long was an used sub whereas the two LOI players got time on the pitch.

[DRDoc]

thats a great article from the stig