Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Kerry FC.Laszlo Geczo/INPHO Freegreatest diplomacy in the world FAI hit back at 'false' Kerry FC accusations of intimidation in player eligibility row Kerry’s opening-day win over Finn Harps was annulled as both players were found to have picked players without international clearance. 11.06am, 4 Apr 2025 Share options Gavin Cooney THE FAI HAVE hit back at claims made by Kerry FC in a dispute over the fielding of an ineligible player, in which the club claimed they had been “bullied into silence.” Kerry had their opening-day win over Finn Harps annulled as the FAI ruled they fielded new signing Stevan Stanic-Floody before the player had received his International Transfer Clearance (ITC), a necessary piece of paperwork for any player signed from overseas. Harps were also deemed to have contravened the same rule, and so the game was annulled and no points have been awarded. Wexford also fell foul of the same rule on opening night, and thus have forfeited their game against UCD. Kerry yesterday confirmed they intend to appeal the decision, doing so via a lengthy statement in which they were fiercely critical of the FAI. Kerry claim they have been deemed responsible for what they believe is an error on the FAI’s part, pointing to the fact Stanic-Floody had been green-lit to play in the FAI Connect system. It is understood that the FAI argue that Kerry initially registered Stanic-Floody as a domestic rather than an international signing with the Association’s competitions department, which led to the player being deemed available to play on FAI Connect in spite of the fact he had not yet received his ITC. Kerry further claim officials did not turn up for an Independent Disciplinary Committee meeting on 10 March, held over Zoom, an allegation today rejected by the FAI. A meeting was held on 27 March, after which Kerry’s game with Harps was annulled and the club ordered to pay a €1,000 fine. Advertisement Kerry say the FAI are attempting to “shift the blame onto Kerry FC while silencing any dissent”, saying that “football should be governed with integrity, not intimidation. We will not accept being bullied into silence. Kerry FC calls on the FAI to immediately investigate this and take appropriate action.” In a statement today, the FAI say the claim that the Independent Disciplinary Committee failed to attend the disciplinary hearing is “entirely false.” The FAI also “strongly rejects” Kerry’s claim of being “bullied into silence.” “The Independent Disciplinary Committee thoroughly examined the matter and made a decision in accordance with the FAI Disciplinary Regulations,” say the FAI. The FAI say an Independent Disciplinary Committee was convened on 11 March to address several disciplinary matters, including the Kerry/eligibility issue. The FAI say the Committee believed it necessary to engage in “detailed discussions” before hearing Kerry’s submissions on the subject, but an FAI representative kept Kerry up to date with proceedings. The FAI claim Kerry refused to participate in the disciplinary hearing. A second hearing took place on 27 March, to which Kerry were invited to give opinion on the appropriate sanction, specifically whether to annul the game or replay the fixture. “During the hearing, a Kerry FC representative was asked twice by the Legal Chair of the Independent Disciplinary Committee whether they had any concerns about the fairness of the disciplinary process and they explicitly confirmed they did not, directly contradicting their public statement,” adds the FAI statement. FAI Statement The FAI would like to clarify several inaccuracies contained within Kerry FC’s statement that was issued yesterday. Disciplinary Proceedings The Independent Disciplinary Committee convened on 11 March 2025 to address several disciplinary matters, including the eligibility of a Kerry FC player. Due to the complex nature of this matter, which related to the eligibility of two players on opposition teams in the same fixture, the Independent Disciplinary Committee believed it was necessary to engage in detailed discussions before hearing Kerry FC’s submissions. While these discussions were ongoing Kerry FC were regularly updated by an FAI representative. Kerry FC subsequently informed an FAI representative that they would not participate in the disciplinary hearing. At the request of the Independent Disciplinary Committee, an FAI representative spoke to Kerry FC on multiple occasions to offer further opportunities to attend the disciplinary hearing, but these offers were declined. Second Disciplinary Hearing on 27 March 2025 The purpose of this disciplinary hearing was to allow Kerry FC make representations on their views on the appropriate sanction specifically, whether to annul the result of the game or replay the fixture. This hearing was notified to Kerry FC two weeks in advance and was not arranged at Kerry FC’s request. During the hearing, a Kerry FC representative was asked twice by the Legal Chair of the Independent Disciplinary Committee whether they had any concerns about the fairness of the disciplinary process and they explicitly confirmed they did not, directly contradicting their public statement. Independent Disciplinary Committee Any suggestion that the Independent Disciplinary Committee failed to attend a disciplinary hearing or that Kerry FC were denied due process is entirely false. The FAI strongly rejects Kerry FC’s claims of being “bullied into silence” or subjected to any intimidation. The Independent Disciplinary Committee thoroughly examined the matter and made a decision in accordance with the FAI Disciplinary Regulations. Gavin Cooney Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “FAI hit back at 'false' Kerry FC accusations of intimidation in player eligibility row ”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “FAI hit back at 'false' Kerry FC accusations of intimidation in player eligibility row ”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. 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