THE SOCCER SUSPENSIONS

NZ Truth, Issue 873, 19 August 1922, Page 6

THE SOCCER SUSPENSIONS

FERGUSON STAYS UP.

McArthur Wins on Procedure;

The Ferguson- McArthur trouble of the .Waterside-Thistle Soccer match on the Basin on July 29 was finally settled up by the big chiefs of the New Zealand Football Council on Thursday night. Ferguson's appeal, based chiefly on the grounds that he had ' been given no opportunity to call evidence and that the . sentence, suspension till the end of next season, was harsh and severe m view of all the circumstances, was dealt with first, and was polished off m right smart time. Mr. R. Y. WalLs opined that the procedure followed by the W.F-A.' had been 1 quite m accord with the rules, particularly Rules 9 and 15. Others quite agreed, and Mr. H. J. Graves ventured another opinion that the sentence was just about WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. The acid test of opinion was then put, and by a -.unanimous vote the Council threw out' the appeal. Ferguson stays up. -■■■■■■. McArthur's appeal gave them more trouble, for very; early it was clear that the whole question of .whether he should stay on the bank "for the rest of the season, as the W.F.A. had said he should, or whether he should turn out for Thistle again would depend updn fine points m the RIGHT OR WRONG PROCEDURE followed by the W.F.A. ' Mr. Walls, took anotherjook into the rule 'book arid opined that the W.F.A. had the widest powers under Rule 15, and since that rule bore the rubber stamp of approval by the N.Z.F.A. how could the Council turn about and say that the procedure followed had been wrong. There was more talk on procedure and fine points, and then Mr. A. Menzies wanted to know whether there was anyone more entitled to lay a charge than the referee, yet the referee haa laid no charge. Ho,weA r er, if McArthur had used -his feet, why should he not have been put up for at least as long as Ferguson. The Council had a long look at the appeal from the procedure point of view, took a vote, and decided by five votes to four that McArthur had a win on points and regulations.