Anyone clued up enough to know whether Meekings can be retrospectively punished by the compliance officer? 

 

I can handle having only Warren missing, but the thought of Meekings also being out fills me with dread! 

 

Major props to Nick Ross for what seems to be him taking responsibility for the yellow card in an effort to clear Draper to make the final, whilst ruling himself out in the process. 

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/04/22/uk-soccer-scotland-inverness-idUKKBN0ND1FP20150422

 

Good find, Davie! Need to get this widely circulated. With any luck it will tee the SFA up for ridicule should the verdict go the wrong way tomorrow, which will help to fuel the fire and (hopefully) keep the club keen on pursuing the issue.

 

Edit  - It's OK - BBC have got hold of this now, so there should be good coverage.

Edited April 22, 201511 yr by PerfICT

So, we have the CURRENT Referee chief saying this is a nonsense.  We have a PAST SFA Compliance Officer say it is a cut-and-dried case.

 

Now, which one would you realistically think has the greater influence?

Sadly, when discussing the Scottish Farcical Association, we suspect we know the answer . . . 

 

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/04/22/uk-soccer-scotland-inverness-idUKKBN0ND1FP20150422

 

Good find, Davie! Need to get this widely circulated. With any luck it will tee the SFA up for ridicule should the verdict go the wrong way tomorrow, which will help to fuel the fire and (hopefully) keep the club keen on pursuing the issue.

 

Edit  - It's OK - BBC have got hold of this now, so there should be good coverage.

 

Aye, since this seems to be 'Trial By Sportsound' the BBC airing the views of the World's most senior referee supervisor might do no harm....

Even the dunderheids at the SFA might be beginning to realise what a potential minefield this is for them if they capitulate to Celtic, and follow through their ill-thought out knee-jerk reaction. I would imagine that there is the distinct possibility of a few discrete phone calls from international bodies advising them of the dangers of the path they are pursuing, and its knock-on effects not just in Scotland. Hopefully the message will get through and they will be looking for a way out, or a famous compromise - where Josh is reprieved and some symbolic rap on the knuckles is administered to fob off the Whingers Brigade. That would be the political solution, and I hope ICT give them the ammunition, in the form of impeccable legal arguments (like they want a case brought against Zalukas for starters), to carry it out, and avert a potential crisis in the future running of the game. That would be the best outcome, and the more insightful of them will recognise it, and take whatever straw ICT are offering them to clutch on to.

I want to see a Soccer AM sketch of their take on this whole debacle. Where's Franky Fryer when you need him?

http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/9817534/boyce-meekings-situation-crazy

 

Heres the video of what the FIFA official has said

 

Gordon Smith has gotten involved as well

 

http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/9817217/shock-at-meekings-ban

Edited April 22, 201511 yr by lightlamp2

The trouble is that while FIFA are not running scared of Celtic the SFA are....and are apparently willing to make up rules as they go along to appease them....

Yes, but if the SFA have any sense, they will realise they have to listen to other bodies in the game, since this decision could have repercussions outside of Scotland. So they have a responsibility to the wider game and the way it is officiated. Which is why I think they should back off, now that the reactions are almost universally negative to their brainstorm. Even though it is a national association, they have to keep in step with other associations in order to preserve some coherent structure to the game and how it is run. Otherwise we are going to get different laws for the same game in different countries. How are they going to police European and international games with fundamental differences like that?

Edited April 22, 201511 yr by The Long Man

After consultation with interested parties, the Independent three man tribunal has been selected and will consist of Andy Walker, Dr John Reid and Billy McNeill.....

After consultation with interested parties, the Independent three man tribunal has been selected and will consist of Andy Walker, Dr John Reid and Billy McNeill.....

 

General Melchett, speckled pigeon, court martial and Blackadder comes to mind :) 

Pretty sure i heard that the 3 man panel was going to be peter lawwell, scott brown and leigh griffiths. And that if josh if found guilty he'll get banned for the rest of the season and the game's going to have to be replayed with inverness reduced to 9 men and celtic given a 6-0 lead

After consultation with interested parties, the Independent three man tribunal has been selected and will consist of Andy Walker, Dr John Reid and Billy McNeill.....

Just heard Andy walker on sky sports news saying it was completely wrong decision so I would on this occasion quite like him to be on said panel!

This is the strongest petition online at the minute with circa 4500 sigs. If you haven't signed do so here. https://www.change.org/p/scottish-football-association-withdraw-the-notice-of-complaint-issued-against-josh-meekings

The defence case has to be cast-iron now, and no way can the ban be upheld:

 

1. Boyce's intervention on behalf of FIFA stating that it is wrong.

2. Smith - former SFA Chief Executive stating it is wrong.

3. Copious examples of similar incidents that have not been acted on (presumably the lawyers are busy collating  a mass of video evidence).

4. The absolute impossibility of proving intentionality when the ball is headed from around a yard away and Josh has his eyes closed.

 

If the SFA pander to Celtic and uphold the ban in these circumstances they will become a global laughing stock.

 

Of course, Celtic could raise their reputation a little out of the sewer over this by writing to the SFA requesting the ban be lifted - but that's probably too much to hope for.

Watching Juventus v Monaco in the Champions League - will be good to see some top level refereeing - wonder who the ref is....ah, it's Willie Collum!

I kid you not, as I write - 45 seconds in, the first yellow card is out!!!

One more argument that others haven't mentioned yet. Looking closely at the incident again, even if Meekings misses the ball, Shinnie is covering the line. So not a 'last man' offence by any means.



 

Edited April 22, 201511 yr by AlexJones

One more argument that others haven't mentioned yet. Looking closely at the incident again, even if Meekings misses the ball, Shinnie is covering the line. So not a 'last man' offence by any means.

 

Yup, I'm sure Shinnie could have stopped it with an outstretched arm

One more argument that others haven't mentioned yet. Looking closely at the incident again, even if Meekings misses the ball, Shinnie is covering the line. So not a 'last man' offence by any means.

Yup, I'm sure Shinnie could have stopped it with an outstretched arm

It would have to be Inspector Gadget with a go-go-gadget arm ;)

What about the assault on Gary warren by commons throwing his arms about looking for the penalty.take it that was missed aswell????

Watching the livi/hibs game. 2 yellow cards already dished out for handballs. Looks like septic has really opened a can of worms here. Although i wonder if the compliance officer will be looking at it tomorrow seeing as how the livi player was inside the penalty box and a free kick was given outside the box??????

In all this kerfuffle, has no-one thought there may be more than a little money involved backstage, allegedly ? I may be banned from the Forum for this but, I am a cynic and ...... who decides who is on the deciding committee tomorrow? how many "friends/acquaintances" do they have in the Celtic boardroom, how many "freebies" do they get over a season, do they "declare" all these instances? This is all "allegedly" but..... I really do feel it is like an "old boys club" or similar - if you don't fit in, then tough and you are out. The Committee tomorrow better have a lot of balls, or else they will be missing some, soon.

Looking at it again it is Warren who is best placed to stop it but it is also far from clear that the ball is goal bound.  Both these factors sort of make whether it was deliberate handball or not irrelevant as the notice of complaint specifically refers to it being a deliberate handball denying a goal scoring opportunity.  SFA therefore need to prove

 

1. The handball was deliberate
2. The ball was goal bound
3. Warren was unlikely to have stopped it

One more argument that others haven't mentioned yet. Looking closely at the incident again, even if Meekings misses the ball, Shinnie is covering the line. So not a 'last man' offence by any means.

That's not what he's been charged with though. He's been charged with denial of a (clear) goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball.

The whole last man thing doesn't even exist in the laws of the game.

This farce has really made me consider whether I want to continue supporting a sport that I have loved and followed for nigh on 60 years.

This farce has really made me consider whether I want to continue supporting a sport that I have loved and followed for nigh on 60 years.

And me on my near 70 years