Aberdeen’s request to have Graeme Shinnie’s four-game ban reviewed by a new panel has been dismissed by the Scottish FA.
The Dons appealed referee Euan Anderson’s decision to send off Shinnie for a challenge on Ross County’s Jack Baldwin during last Friday’s 1-0 win in Dingwall.
The SFA’s independent appeals panel dismissed the appeal on Tuesday and added an additional match on to what would have been a three-game ban after the panel deemed the appeal to be “frivolous”.
The Dons released a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday, in which they said they were in disbelief at the decision and called on the SFA to “urgently review” the appeal with a new panel.
But the Dons have confirmed this request has been turned down and Shinnie will now sit out the next four games – starting with this Sunday’s meeting with Rangers at Pittodrie.
Aberdeen have said they will now speak to other clubs to look at changing the appeals process.
Following our request to the Scottish FA for Graeme Shinnie’s appeal to be re-heard by a freshly constituted fast track tribunal, we have been informed that this has been dismissed.
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) April 21, 2023
A Dons statement read: “Following our request to the Scottish FA for Graeme Shinnie’s appeal to be re-heard by a freshly constituted fast track tribunal, we have been informed that this has been dismissed.
“We now have no further recourse, so Graeme will miss the next four Scottish Premiership matches.
“We have taken the temperature of several Premiership clubs and will now pro-actively work with clubs and the Scottish FA to bring about sensible and positive governance changes for the benefit of Scottish football.
“Supporters, the lifeblood of our game, deserve to see a consistency and transparency in decision-making. Aberdeen FC is ready to play its part in a constructive and timely manner.”
The SFA later published the tribunal’s written reasons for the refusal to overturn the red card.
The three-strong panel unanimously decided to impose the extra suspension.
They wrote: “The Fast Track Tribunal could not reasonably deduce from the evidence presented, that the opposing player was not endangered by the player’s actions as submitted. To do so, was entirely unreasonable and implausible.
“It was also unanimously rejected that the player did not lunge, did not use excessive force and was in control of his movement on the evidence presented. For those reasons, we felt that the claim had no prospect of success.”
Earlier this week, PFA Scotland, the body who represent professional players, released their own statement directed at the SFA appeals process, accusing the governing body of offending “fairness and natural justice” by punishing clubs and their players for launching appeals.
Joe Harper: Other clubs must join Aberdeen in tackling SFA in wake of Graeme Shinnie ban debacle
Conversation