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[Leon]

This sounds like the nearest to the Robinson fiasco I've come across:

http://www.football-league.co.uk/news/article/2016/gillingham-fined-by-football-disciplinary-commission-2973269.aspx

[taxi Phil]

Farce. Should have had 3 points deducted.  Oh, wait a minute.....

No, it's  obviously OK. They're not part time 😠

[Jimmy Hill]

What exactly is the point of international clearance?

What great disasters does this layer of bureaucracy prevent?

[distancetraveller]

This really is double standards . Way back when we were punished they couldn't charge us quick enough and deduct the points.

Since then  there hasn't  hardly been any club who have had anything like the punishment that was handed out to us

I wonder if there is any retrospective appeal against the way we, as a club were so harshly treated.

Football officialdom from FIFA right down is in desperate need of sorting out if for nothing other than having a system that is the same for all clubs rather than the "If your face fits we will look after you" bollocks they have at the present time.

[ManagementGuru]

I would rather think of it the other way round.  The reason no-one has been punished in the same way that we were is that what happened to us was so clearly a nonsense and injustice that common sense has prevailed since

[Jimmy]

I think a couple of times team have been deducted points the problem we had we gained 18 points

[JTH]

It's a case of double standards only in so far as it was the Conference who made the decision in our case and here their counterparts in the Football League. If you remember we appealed to the FA who merely said provided the Conference had followed their own rules and processes there was little they could do. Without raking over old coals the difference is Robinsongate featured a concerted effort made by at least 2 Conference clubs (one in Lancs, one in Gloucs) to ensure we suffered the maximum penalty. Remember there was not very subtle talk of those clubs taking the Conf to court if the rules were not followed to the letter. Not being an organisation flush with £ they had little room to manouevre.There's no mention of Gillingham's league rivals doing anything in the same vein.

Clearly the 'good of the game' would've been better served in our case by all Conference clubs inc the two mentioned, pointing out the arrangements relating to international clearance where opaque at best and any club could easily fall foul of them. It appears that particular issue still hasn't been properly addressed by FA administrative procedures. Still, experience of the problems it can cause might help when you put in your application for the top job.

[Number23]

There also seems to be a difference in the degree to which the FA is being held responsible. In the article it quotes a league spokesman who states "the FA should have identified this issue earlier.  Had it done so, this breach of regulations would never have occurred."

In the James Robinson case my recollection is that the club were held fully responsible for checking that he had international clearance - even though he'd been signed from an English club and they (Accrington) had failed to complete the paperwork.

[Beaver]

Even a fine for Robinson would have been an injustice. Not blaming Stanley but it should never have been placed on us.

What we got was a few months of absolute turmoil and little chance of preparing properly for a season at that level.

We were class with Robinson in the side that season!