General Football 23/24

[dom9]

Which country does he play for?

[ChesterDave]

Belgium, I think?

[john316]

Big blow for the Belgians but big opportunity for Lukaku now. Big tournament for him and Chelsea might be fighting off bids for him.

[Fivex]

Apparently Benteke is missing the World Cup due to a torn Achilles.

[spud_gun]

Sunderland might be in a spot of trouble.

Apparently they've fielded an ineligible player on 4 occasions this season.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2596295/Sunderland-rocked-emerges-North-East-club-fielded-Ji-ineligible.html

whoops!

[Bender]

Christian Benteke: Aston Villa striker out for six months
Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke has been ruled out for a minimum of six months with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

The 23-year-old Belgium international will have surgery on the injury sustained in training and will miss this summer's World Cup in Brazil.
Villa manager Paul Lambert said: "It's a terrible blow both for Christian and for the club.
BBC

[Bender]

Sunderland might be in a spot of trouble.

Apparently they've fielded an ineligible player on 4 occasions this season.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2596295/Sunderland-rocked-emerges-North-East-club-fielded-Ji-ineligible.html

whoops!

Sunderland have been fined by the Premier League after it emerged they fielded an ineligible player in four league matches earlier in the season.

Striker Ji Dong-Won played against Fulham, Southampton, Crystal Palace and Manchester United before Sunderland told the Premier League they had made an administrative error.

It is understood they were made aware of the error in December and Sunderland settled the fine in early 2014.
The club will not be deducted points.
BBC

[ChesterDave]

You can bet your life if it was a non-league club they'd be docked points

[Fivex]

General Football 2014

So the Premier League kept it from the FA and fined them themselves?

According to the FA statutes, Sunderland should have been deducted points or made to replay the game against Southampton - where they won a point - for failing to gain the appropriate clearance.

The FA rules state: 'Any club found to have played an ineligible player in a match shall have any points gained from that match deducted from its record and have levied upon it a fine.

Things are really starting to smell rancid at the PLHQ.

[Kenneth]

Wtf!

[ChesterDave]

Bent.

[Alex]

Premier League now operates outside of the governing body? Nice one.

Bit of a joke really, protecting their own. You'd have to think other clubs could appeal this?

[Fivex]

I wonder if this has leaked due to the recent Scudamore comments implying bias toward the scum?

[Kenneth]

The article does suggest exceptions where the ineligibility is caused by failure to get international clearance, as in this case. Whether that's compatible with the FA code, who knows. They're going down anyway.

[Fivex]

General Football 2014

I want anarchy