Club Plans Appeal Against Suspension

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30451, 27 May 1964, Page 12

Club Plans Appeal Against Suspension

(New Zealand Press Association;

INVERCARGILL, May 25

The suspension sine die of the Queen’s Park Soccer Club, Invercargill, was confirmed by the Southland Football Association tonight. The' association unanimously passed a motion moved at the judicial committee’s last meeting.

The Queen’s Park Club president,. Mr' A. Stojkovich, said he was disappointed. The tliib would appeal against the decision. J. Schaffer was suspended for life, J. Ferris for two months, three other . players, D. Shepherd, J. Oliver, and C. Duivenvoort, for three playing Saturdays and J. Greenless for two playing Saturdays. Schaffer had been suspended for life before. The Southland association lifted the ban this season against him playing on the condition he never appeared before the judicial committee again. But, because he was one of the players who walked off the field on May 16, he had to appear before the judicial committee and thus received life suspension again. The club, which has two teams, was formed about seven years ago. Did Not Put' Case In a letter to the meeting a firm of solicitors acting on behalf- of the suspended club, accused the association of taking “drastic action. It seems clear,” the letter said, “that certain players were not given an opportunity of putting their case before the association.” The club, said the letter, had not been called upon to make any explanation. “This is, to say the least, grossly unfair, and hardly in accordance with the principles of what we understand was supposed to be a judicial inquiry into the incident. “As the matter is of some importance, insofar as our client is concerned, we would

be grateful if our request could be treated as urgent.” Asked For Rules The solicitors asked for a set of the local association’s rules, and also for rules of the governing New Zealand body. In a letter, the referee of the match between Queen’s Park and Waihopai, Mr G. Te Au, outlined the circumstances surrounding the walk-off. The meeting decided to allow one Queen’s Park spokesman to present the club’s case at the association’s next meeting. Two Men Cleared Two Queen’s Park players who were provisionally selected for the Southland representative soccer team to play Otago in Dunedin on June 1 were cleared tonight. The two men are G. Buellens and J. Graham. The chairman of the selection committee, Mr G. McGregor asked if the two could still play for Southland. The acting chairman, Mr .L. O’Rorke said: “It really does not matter. They were playing football when they were chosen. , A motion allowing them to play was passed.”