Reds sweat on admin error - July 31 2009
Reds sweat on admin error
July 31 2009
Shepparton News
Shepparton Soccer Club has been sprung on a technicality and may lose the points from its 5-2 win against Shepparton United at the weekend due to an administration error.
To the letter of the law, the Reds look set to forfeit their match to United for fielding a player who was not in the right place on the team sheet.
Papi Mukasa, who scored Shepparton's fifth goal after coming on as a second-half substitute, was scribbled out of the starting 11 on the team sheet, but not written back in on the bench.
A pre-game car accident involving the wives of two Shepparton players led to confusion as to which players would be available to play.
Shepparton division one team manager Bryan Anderson said he was responsible for handing in the team sheet without Mukasa listed.
"I started to write the first team sheet out and we had Papi on the bench," Anderson said.
"Then we heard there was an accident, Johnny Davkovski and Troy Kennedy dashed off and it sounded like it could be serious.
"(Coach) Jean(Claude) Giuca and I made the decision to reconfigure our team (on a new team sheet).
"So we had Papi starting, then the boys, Troy and Johnny, turned up back at the ground.
"I was looking at the (altered) sheets and could see we had three on the bench, but what I forgot to do when I crossed out Papi in the starting line-up was put him in on the bench.
"It's really my mistake, I'll hold my hand up."
If United is successful in its protest, to be heard on Wednesday, the impact will be great on more than just Shepparton.
A potential loss of points for Shepparton will drop it to 18 points, in third behind Tatura on 20 instead of ahead by a point on 21.
Both Cobram Victory and Cobram on 16 points each would be overtaken by United on the ladder, which would move to 18 points in fourth.
"To lose the points is a bit hard," Anderson said.
"If United are pushing for it, it's perhaps a bit petty by them.
"If that's how it is, that's how it is."
The News understands United officials asked referee David Maskell where Mukasa was on the Shepparton team sheet after the match and were recommended by Maskell under league rule 6.4 to go through the proper channels.
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