Another Fine Mess.

Ji Dong-Won: Sunderland fined for fielding ineligible player.

Sunderland have been fined by the Premier League after they fielded an ineligible player in four league matches earlier in the season.

Striker Ji Dong-Won, 22, played against Fulham, Southampton, Crystal Palace and Manchester United before Sunderland informed the Premier League they had made an administrative error.

It is understood they were made aware of the error in December and Sunderland settled the fine in early 2014.

The club will not be deducted points.

Sunderland were also fined by the Football League because the player appeared in the Capital One Cup victory over MK Dons in August.

Club secretary Liz Coley has left the club but sources at Sunderland insist it was not as a result of the error.

Sunderland were fined because they failed to gain international clearance for the South Korea international after he returned to the club from a loan spell at German club Augsburg last season.

The Premier League club did not realise they needed to seek international clearance for a second time when he returned to England. He should not have been involved in any matches before the club received written confirmation from the German Football Association.

The Premier League has refused to comment.

Ji joined the Black Cats for an undisclosed fee from South Korean side Chunnam Dragons in June 2011.

Sunderland took only one point from the four league matches in which the striker featured when ineligible, losing 1-0 at home to Fulham on 17 August and drawing 1-1 at Southampton on 24 August, before losing 3-1 away to Palace on 31 August and 2-1 at home to Manchester United on 5 October.

Ji also played in the 4-2 victory over Milton Keynes Dons in the Capital One Cup second round on 27 August.

It's just as well there isn't a points reduction.

18 Cardiff 32 -32 26
19 Sunderland 30 -20 25
20 Fulham 32 -42 24

 

Laurel and Hardy couldn't beat this.

 

This helps to keep me glowing.

 

The FA have docked points before so why not this time? Also, they should have been thrown out of the League Cup. May not hear the end of this if they stay up by one point.

 

Like we didn't hear the end of West Ham staying up? It's football - the next game is all that matters.

 

If the other clubs are smart they'll get their complaints in now so it doesn't look like sour grapes. However by the looks of it, its done and dusted.

They should certainly have lost the point gained against Southampton as the precedent has been set previously in the lower leagues I believe? There will of course be hell on if they do stay up by a point or goal difference.

 

Exactly. The FA have docked points when lower league sides have done it so why not this time?

 

Inconsistency at the FA?! How dare you - the very thought....

 

John Jo Shelvey springs to mind

 

This was all very hush hush at the time, all of a sudden the story hits the press, Sunderland should have been docked points for this but it would seem that the powers that be have treated them differently to other clubs, they should be barred from next seasons League Cup as well as they should not have been allowed to continue in the competition, there would be quite an uproar if they had won it.

 

I'm sure the powers that be at MK Dons are fuming as they lost out on a potential pay day....

 

The FA are Mackems. That's the only possible explanation.

 

Mackems are very fortunate when you think that poor old Hartlepool were docked points for doing same thing when they played Brighton. Poyet was Brighton manager at the time.

 

Poyet got something on the FA?

 

They could have had their palms crossed with silver.

 

The problem I have with all this is that it was not a mistake that meant that he played just ONE game illegally, it was FIVE.

When my lad was playing for a local under 14's Sunday team a few years ago, they signed a lad who had just moved over from Ghana. It took weeks to get him authorised to play, but the club made certain that it adhered to the rules even though they had never been in that situation before. So if a kids' football team makes sure that it complies with the rules, a professional Premier league Club has got no excuse.

The fact remains that Sunderland gained one point and also knocked MK Dons out of the League Cup whilst fielding a player that should not have been on the field of play.

That that they have been fined a few grand is probably of little consolation to MK Dons, and, if they stay up by one point or on goal difference, the team that gets relegated in their place will have every right to be pissed off.

 

Agree with all of the above.

 

From the reporting it appears that Sunderland did obtain the required approval once but then for some reason I don't understand needed to obtain it a second time.

The complexities are beyond me but that may be a valid reason for fining them instead of deducting points. If, for example, the second clearance was just a rubber stamping process while the initial clearance is something of more substance then it might make sense to treat one type of breach differently from the other.

While you can't assume the FA will be consistent, it's probably also not fair to assume they're always inconsistent.

 

But surely it is the Club's responsibility to make sure that it does understand the complexities of the situation and act accordingly.

The fact remains that MK Dons were knocked out of the League Cup by a team fielding a player who should not have been on the pitch.

The FA have bottled it because it is only a little club that has been affected.

If Ji had played in either the Chelsea or Man Utd games, I doubt whether the FA would have taken such a lenient course of action.

 

I think that can be taken as a certainty.