SOCCER REPORT DISPUTED Coach, association “seeking advice”

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32967, 13 July 1972, Page 24

SOCCER REPORT DISPUTED Coach, association “seeking advice”

Advice is to be taken by both the Christchurch United coach, Mr T. C. Conley, and the Canterbury Football Association with regard to a report issued yesterday by the New Zealand Football Association.

The report, released by the Press Association from Wellington, gave the N.Z.F.A.’s ruling on

a charge laid by a Rothmans National Soccer League referee, Mr R. McDonald.

Neither Mr Conley nor the president of the Canterbury F. A. (Mr T, C. Gottermeyer) would comment on the mat ter last evening, except to say that they were seeking advice on their respective positions. The Press Association report stated that the N.Z.F.A. executive meeting last week said: “In view of the manner in which the report of Teny Conley was dealt with by the Canterbury Football Association, the executive has decided that any further allegations of misconduct by this man will be dealt with by the executive committee of the N.Z.F.A. under rule 18 (B), and the C.F.A. is instructed to forward such reports to the N.Z.F.A. secretary.” COACH CLEARED Mr McDonald laid a charge after the Christchurch United - Stop Out national league match in Christchurch on June 3. Conley was cleared by the Canterbury judicial committee of attempting to strike Mr McDonald. The N.Z.F.A. then requested more information from the C.F.A. to “get the matter cleared up as soon as possible,” in the words of the national association secretary, Mr G. H. Moore. The executive committee’s minutes say that the Canterbury judicial committee was “quite wrong” in not fulfilling its duty of investigating the matter reported and taking the appropriate action.

“The C.F.A. has clearly not dealt properly with Terry Conley, and the N.Z.F.A. expresses its strongest

objection to public statements to the press and clubs concerned by officials of the C.F.A. to justify its actions,” the minutes state.

The national association also says that Canterbury had not dealt properly with a Christchurch United player, Brian Hardman, whom national officials say was properly sent off for allegedly striking an opponent in the Christchurch United-Stop Out game. It says that Hardman “could well have been suspended for four playing days.” Hardman was suspended for two playing days DECISION QUESTIONED In another section of the minutes from the same meeting, the association questioned the action of the Auckland Football Association’s judicial committee in taking no action against a Mount Wellington player, B. Turner, after an incident during the

New Brighton-Mount Wellington game in Christchurch on June 10.

The Auckland judicial committee took no action against Turner, who was alleged to have struck a New Brighton player, G. Taylor, because the referee’s report contained no actual charge, nor laid down any charge.

It is understood that the national executive will discuss at its next meeting a suggested plan by Mr Moore for players to receive a certain number of points for misconduct on the field of play before their case is heard by their own local judicial committee.