Congratulations to all concerned with Steve Bellas's recent appeal to the FA. The appeal was witheld and the ban reduced to the end of the close season.It seems the hearing should never have got as far as the CFA and should have been dealt with at local league level. Something we said all along, just goes to show the local league cannot deal with proper football issues but just like to impose ridiculously heavy fines on U7 and U8or9 teams that just want to let kids play football. power to the City!!
on a more serious note, if any Manager gets a fine from the league, let me know as soon as possible, again the league don't inform me of any hearings or disciplinary meetings involving our teams. and we only have 72 hours to appeal.
It was a foolish decision in the first place and the idiot on the disciplinary panel who wanted to ban him for 5 years should in my opinion resign from the County Football Association as it shows he has absolutely no idea what he is doing. I might even put that to the Chairman, Mr Conway. What was he thinking about for goodness sakes.
A few people at the CFA who have been involved in this complete waste of time, money and effort, need to have a good long look at themselves. Firstly it should never have got to them and secondly they should have had the legislative knowledge to work that out and send it back to the Youth League.
The men from the FA seen through this almost immediately, why didn't the CFA? I will leave you to draw your own conclusions about that one.
Finally, what can you do about a persons's reputation when it has been sullied in this manner. Steve has been very professional and mature in all of this but I know he and his family were all very upset, offended and hurt by what has gone on. I doubt very much whether anyone from either the Youth League or CFA will mirror Steve's maturity and ring the man up to say we got it wrong, but we can all live in hope.
I'm pleased for you Steve and very impressed with the way you have acquitted yourself.
Well done also to Joe McGarry who done loads of work on this.
