The Irish FA appeal board has dismissed Glentoran’s appeal against their Irish Cup expulsion over the Joe Crowe eligibility affair.
As a result, Newry City will now proceed to play Ballymena United in the semi-finals on April 13.
Glentoran had lodged an appeal after being thrown out of the cup after it was found Crowe was ineligible to play Newry in the quarter-final tie on March 5.
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Crowe was hit with a three-game suspension for ‘serious foul play’ while playing for Glentoran's reserve team against Linfield Swifts on February 14.
The reserves had played three games before the 23-year-old featured in a 1-0 win over Newry in the last-eight, but one was an Intermediate Cup tie, a competition Crowe isn't eligible to play in.
And according to the IFA’s disciplinary code, a player not eligible to participate in a particular match due to the competition rules may not use that match to serve his suspension.
Newry lodged an appeal on March 7 and subsequently upheld the Championship club’s protest at an initial hearing on March 10.
In a statement the Irish FA explained that Glentoran’s llatest appeal was made on four grounds and that all four were dismissed by the Appeal Board.
The Oval club’s grounds of appeal were as follows:
- That the Committee misdirected itself regarding the application and/or interpretation of the Intermediate Cup Rules.
- The IFA Football Regulations do not apply in general and Regulation 27 does not apply specifically to the Intermediate Cup Rules.
- The decision does not deal with, either adequately or at all, the observations made by Glentoran regarding the COMET system.
- The decision does not take into account the impact the decision will have on Glentoran.
In a statement the Irish FA said the Appeal Board had "dismissed all grounds of appeal by Glentoran".
On the specific issue of Irish FA’s COMET system, the Appeals Board said the computerised platform is “by no means the gatekeeper of a player’s eligibility”.
The ruling added: “Clubs cannot and should not use COMET as a scapegoat for their decisions concerning a player’s eligibility.”
The Irish FA statement added: “The ruling means the Challenge Cup Committee’s determination that Newry should be reinstated to the competition - to play Ballymena United in the semi-finals - stands.”
Glentoran have yet to issue a response to the decision but figures within the club will be meeting on Friday afternoon to discuss potential further action.
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