The Ghost of Dublin City haunts league
Expulsion of Vikings haunts listing League=Irish Indo August 10th.
GONE, but not forgotten. Dublin City's demise continues to haunt the Eircom League as the row over the expunging of games involving the defunct club grows increasingly torrid.
The catalyst for the latest confusion was Shelbourne's successful appeal against the decision to wipe the Dublin City games from the record and it throws the validity of the current league table into question.
Shels' chief executive Ollie Byrne contested the verdict on the basis that the league's 22-man Management Committee, and not the 10-man Board of Control, should have made the decision regarding the course of action to take after City resigned from the league.
The Board of Control ruled that points earned against Dublin City should be withdrawn, meaning that Shelbourne and Cork City lost six points whereas title-rivals Drogheda and Derry, who dropped points against the ill-fated club, had their tallies reduced by just four and three points respectively.
Following Shels' successful appeal, it's understood the League planned to debate the crisis at next Wednesday's Management Committee meeting, with the possibility of the matter going to independent binding arbitration to reach a definite conclusion.
For the moment, the amended table, as it was redrawn after the initial decision, still stands.
However, a furious Byrne has demanded that all points taken away from teams who earned them against Dublin City be restored immediately, or else he will be forced to take further action.
"I will not attend any further meeting and be party to any decision made by people involved in the original decision. They're not entitled to discuss it next Wednesday and it can't go to arbitration," insisted Byrne.
"I will not accept it under any circumstances. Certainly, in the interim, all points will have to be restored and I will be forcing the issue over the next couple of days. I will reserve my right to take it to whatever forum is necessary," he warned.
Meanwhile, Derry City will discover next Wednesday if they will be deducted three points for fielding the suspended Seán Hargan in their Premier Division game with Bohemians, although they feel confident of proving their innocence.
The defender should have been banned for receiving four yellow cards in the campaign prior to that game, but the crux of the argument is Derry's claim that they were not informed of this by the league whereas the authorities claim they were.
A final decision may rest on whatever proof is offered.
In the First Division, leaders Shamrock Rovers are set to lose three points after it emerged that they fielded new signing Paul Shiels as a sub against Dundalk when he was meant to be banned.
Shiels should have been serving an additional one-match suspension picked up, ironically, for the red card he picked up with former club Dublin City against Derry.
These latest fiascos have again shifted the focus to off-field affairs on a big day of action for Drogheda United and Derry who are in Norway and Scotland for UEFA Cup second qualifying round ties against Start and Gretna respectively.
