Rangers appeal decision to be thrown out of Junior Cup

As expected Enniskillen Rangers have appealed the decision of the IFA Disciplinary Committee to throw them out of the fonaCAB Irish Junior Cup following a protest by Junior Cup semi-final opponents Tummery Athletic.

Rangers won the encounter 3-1 at Ferney Park last month but Tummery subsequently protested that Jordan McClure, who stood suspended, had been in attendance alongside the team.

Despite the fact that McClure had played no active part whatsoever, Tummery lodged a complaint of misconduct. While this was orginally dismissed by the IFA Junior and Youth committee, the IFA Disciplinary Committee upheld Athletic’s protest after hearing submissions from all the parties involved on Wednesday night.

In reaching their judgement the committee ruled that Article 22.1 of the IFA Disciplinary Code had been breached.
It states: If any player participates in a match whilst being suspended or if any player breaches the terms of his suspension his club will be sanctioned with a fine (£350 for Junior teams). The Disciplinary Committee sanctioned Enniskillen Rangers with a £350 fine and additionally the club will forfeit the match by a score of 3-0 as also outlined in Article 22.1 of the IFA Disciplinary Code.

Rangers have confirmed they will be submitting their appeal later today (Monday).

Tummery’s controversial protest has sparked much debate and has soured relations between the two clubs.

The depth of ill feeling was clearly evident following the final whistle in Thursday night’s Mulhern Cup semi-final, which Tummery won on penalties, when the Enniskillen players walked off the field without acknowledging their opponents.