Dundee United are the latest club to hit out at the mysteries of SFA ‘justice’ after an appeal against Paul Paton’s two match ban for spitting was dismissed with no reason given.
The midfielder will miss Sundays game against Celtic with the Tannadice club angered at the lack of transparency over the appeal.
On Tuesday Celtic condemned the seven match ban served on Aleksandar Tonev but at least had access to the evidence and reasoning for the decision.
Reacting today to the Paton ban a Dundee United spokesperson said: “We do feel aggrieved on the basis that firstly we do not believe the player is guilty, secondly the decision cannot be appealed and third the player and club are not allowed the see the basis on which the Panel made this judgement.
“Rules that block the ability of players, clubs and supporters to understand such decisions seem at odds with the transparency and openness required in the modern day game.
“We remain completely supportive of Paul but accept that the matter is now closed. Our focus is now firmly on Sunday’s game against Celtic.”
Paton and Tonev will both miss Sunday’s top of the table clash at Tannadice with both club’s going public with their concerns about how justice is administered.
In Paton’s case the matter was apparently brought to the Disciplinary Committee’s attention by television coverage but again no criteria is laid out on what incidents are reviewed.
Rather than blame the SFA or systems Celtic and Dundee United should ensure that changes are made and that full disclosure is given to every disciplinary decision by the SFA.