League Two side risks losing £200,000 after fielding ineligible player in Scottish Cup
Stranraer FC, from Scotland’s League Two, faces the risk of losing an amount reaching £200,000—a sum that could cover the club’s operating expenses for three or four years—if they are disqualified from the Scottish Cup for fielding an ineligible player in their match against Queen’s Park.
The club has acknowledged the situation regarding their players following Tuesday’s victory over Queen’s Park, with a disciplinary hearing scheduled at the Scottish Football Association on January 28 to discuss the circumstances surrounding the player’s eligibility.
The player in question is goalkeeper Lyndon Tas, who joined the club on loan from Hearts on the same day as the match. He saved a penalty during the shootout after the match ended in a 1-1 draw at Stair Park.
The match was originally scheduled for Saturday but was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Cup regulations state that only players registered for the original date of the match are eligible to participate in the event of a postponement, suspension, or replay.
While the governing body can still approve emergency loans, it confirmed that the transfer of 17-year-old Tas was not approved specifically under that type of loan.
The League Two club maintains that it “acted swiftly and in good faith to recruit Tas,” noting that a previous loan documentation offer for player Josh Lane was rejected by Hamilton Academical.
Club manager Chris Aitken later told BBC Scotland: “It seems the reason is that we didn’t use the word ’emergency.’ If these loan circumstances aren’t considered an emergency, then we don’t know what is!
“It would be a travesty for someone to think that gave us an advantage. It was a fantastic achievement, and what has happened since is like a thunderstorm.
“We know what we stand to lose, which is potentially up to £200,000. We are a club that relies on volunteers to operate. This amount would keep Stranraer alive for three or four years.”
If Stranraer is disqualified, Queen’s Park will replace them in the fifth round, where the Championship side would face Rangers, who were recently defeated 1-0 in the tournament.
In 2023, Queen’s Park was disqualified from the Scottish Cup after fielding an ineligible player who had also moved on loan from Hearts after an initial postponement, in a match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who were subsequently reinstated and later reached the tournament final.
United News Network – UNN Arabic
An independent media platform providing reliable news and objective analysis, seeking to promote peace and cultural dialogue around the world to convey the truth and build bridges of understanding between peoples.
For more news, you can visit our homepage:
