Fifa vice president Jim Boyce has told the SFA they are wrong to try to ban Caley Thistle defender Josh Meekings from next month’s Scottish Cup final.
SFA compliance officer Tony McGlennan offered the 22-year-old a one-match ban on Tuesday for deliberately handling the ball to keep Celtic attacker Leigh Griffiths’ header out during the 3-2 semi-final win against the Hoops at Hampden on Sunday.
Inverness rejected the offer and club representatives will join the Englishman in pleading his innocence at Hampden today.
This is believed to be the first time such a charge has been laid. But the issue has further complicated by Griffiths’ claims referee Steven McLean told him assistant referee Alan Muir had ruled the ball had hit Meekings on the head.
Northern Irishman Boyce, who is head of world football’s governing body’s refereeing committee, is vehemently opposed to the intervention by the compliance officer and has warned McGlennan and the SFA they are setting a dangerous precedent in seeking retrospective punishment.
Boyce said: “This sets a very dangerous precedent, I am absolutely, 100% against the compliance officer becoming involved because the referee’s decision is final.
“It is a totally different matter if someone has gone over the top, or committed a serious foul, or head-butted someone and the referee has missed it.
“Those are disciplinary issues. But what happened here is the referee made a mistake regarding a handball and that’s the end of it. There is no way the player should now be disciplined for that.”
Meekings admitted handling the ball, but denied the offence was intentional and Boyce believes the SFA will find it difficult to prove otherwise at this afternoon’s hearing at the National Stadium.
Boyce said: “Who is to say it was even intentional? If the Scottish FA or their referees’ committee decide that they feel a serious mistake was made then they could take action in the future against the referee.
Four handballs worse than Meekings’ that went unpunished
“I can understand why Celtic are annoyed because they felt they should have had a penalty kick, but these things happen at all levels of football every week.
“The only punishment, if any punishment at all is due, should be made if the Scottish FA feel the officials in charge of this game acted improperly and made the wrong decision.”
European football’s governing body ducked the issue yesterday when contacted by the Press and Journal.
A Uefa spokesman confirmed the association was aware of the case but said: “We cannot comment on decisions made by member associations.”