SFA hit back at Rangers over John Brown 'corrupt' fine row

The Herald Scotland

9 hours ago

Appearing on Rangers TV that day, he said: "I would say it's corrupt."
Tom Miller quickly responded: "I'm not sure we can actually say that."
"Well I am saying it," Brown added. "That's a disgrace and it's the worst decision I've seen in all the years I've been in football."
The SFA handed out a £3,000 fine to the Ibrox club after they were found to be in breach of the rules following the incident.
Rangers issued a strongly worded statement on Thursday evening in response, as they insisted they would be watching proceedings closely relating to content produced by club TV channels of other Scottish clubs.
Now, the SFA has maintained the charge was rightly passed down in line with the rulebook, as they reminded clubs of 'their responsibilities'
"We note Rangers' response to the determination of a recent independent Judicial Panel Tribunal," an SFA spokesperson said. "In the interests of accuracy, we wish to address some of the misleading comments contained therein:
"The sanction imposed by an independent panel was entirely in keeping with the application of the rules.
"The most recent and relevant example of a similar breach, the sanction imposed on Richard Foster of Motherwell FC for comments of a similar nature in the media, attests to that.
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"Furthermore, to address the comments regarding 'rationale behind differing outcomes', we wish to point to the fact that investigations were undertaken in previous cases outlined and that the Compliance Officers of the time saw fit to issue a censure by way of warning letter for potential breaches deemed insufficiently serious to be progressed to a Notice of Complaint.
"This system of proportionality has been adopted since the inception of the Judicial Panel Protocol in 2011.
"Indeed, such discretion was exercised last season when the Compliance Officer wrote to the club to warn of the future conduct of players following matters involving Vaclav Cerny, Dujon Sterling and Mohamed Diomande.
"We also note that Rangers intend to contact the association to seek clarity on the Judicial Panel Protocol and its application.
"The club is, in fact, already represented on the JPP Working Group.
"We have requested written reasons from the panel chair involved in the tribunal and in the interests of transparency, will publish in due course.
"JPP Rule 38 was introduced in response to the referee strike of 2010, when match officials campaigned for greater protection after enduring sustained personal criticism from clubs and fans.
"Ahead of a new season, we remind clubs of their responsibilities in this regard."