Bury FC facing fine and points deduction for allegedly fielding a player from another club
Bury FC are facing not only a fine but a points deduction from the North West Counties Football League after allegedly fielding a player already contracted to another club in a recent game.
The recently reborn Greater Manchester side merged back together with its phoenix club, Bury AFC, back in May and locals have been delighted to see football once again being played over at Gigg Lane.
However, with this potential punishment already looming over them so soon after the start of the season, fans will no doubt be frustrated to hear that they may soon be losing three points — and as we all know, they’re all crucial come the end of the season.
As confirmed in an update issued by the club: “Following a North West Counties Football League Management Committee meeting held on 6 September 2023, we have been notified of the League’s intention to fine the club £100 and deduct three points for fielding a player contracted to another club.”
The statement goes on to insist, “The club disputes this and is in the process of appealing to the Football Association. No sanctions will take effect until the appeal has been heard. We know supporters will be severely disappointed to learn that we might lose hard-earned points, as is Andy Welsh and his team.
“We would, however, ask for your patience as we go through the appeals process and will not be sharing any further information at this stage so as not to compromise that appeal. In addition to the appeal, the club has now also made some process changes to mitigate against this risk in future.”
Given the information the club have provided thus far, which is limited given their hopes of avoiding the ruling, the issue looks to have almost been somewhat of a clerical error — the team assured the supporters they were unaware the as-yet unidentified player was still contracted elsewhere.
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“The volunteer involved in the transfer is no longer working with the club, and there is no evidence he knew of a problem”, the statement continues. “Neither the player nor any of the management team were aware of any concerns, and we would not play anyone where there was any known problem.
“There is nothing to be gained by blaming individuals given the specifics of this case.
“The points deduction does not alter any of the results achieved to date. They all stand. There are 105 points up for grabs in our league campaign now. The focus is on continuing with our preparations and winning as many of those points as possible until the end of the season.”
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Featured Image — Bury FC (via X)