ByDanny Caro, Danny Caro
The Maccabi League has admitted it made a mistake by allowing London Maccabi Lions A to field a player it later deemed ineligible in the recent JC Cyril Anekstein Cup match against North London Raiders A.
The Lions were given permission to register Daniel Green four days before the tie earlier this month, rather than the stipulated 14 days for cup competitions.
The league’s registrations secretary approved the request, without realising the application was for a League Cup match.
Lions won the match 3-2 and although Raiders, who are managed by Rob Richman, suggested replaying the tie, they have not lodged a formal appeal.
MSFL chairman David Wolff said: “Lions did nothing wrong. It was an unfortunate yet honest error by one of our committee members, but the league has acted completely within its own rules so the result stands.”
Raiders chairman Jonathan Adelman confirmed the club will not appeal the decision, although he is far from happy.
He commented: “The rules governing the registration of players for cup games are clear and understood by all clubs, as are the sanctions for playing ineligible players. People will draw their own conclusions about an established club like Lions registering a player and then seeking confirmation that he was eligible to play without making it clear to the registration secretary that the game was in the cup.
“At the very least the game ought to have been replayed and only the League Management Committee know why they chose not to apply any of the sanctions available to them.
“At a time when participation in 11-a-side Jewish football is seeing a marked decline, ignoring a fundamental breach can only serve to discourage those teams who do abide by the rules.”