Accra Great Olympics have been declared winners of their match day 12 Ghana Premier League encounter with Medeama SC after winning a protest filed with the FA Disciplinary Committee on Tuesday.
Consequently, the AGOSU lads were credited with the three points from the game hosted by Medeama who paid dearly for fielding an unqualified player, Nana Kofi Babil.
The committee at its meeting on Monday ruled that “for fielding an unqualified player in the said match, Medeama SC shall be considered as having lost the match and accordingly, three points and three goals is hereby awarded in favour of Accra Great Olympics FC pursuant to Article 33 (1)(e) and 33(2) of the Premier League Regulations. 3. “
Medeama SC shall further lose three points from its accumulated points from previous matches in accordance with Article 33(5)(a) and fined GH¢5,000.00, 50% of which shall be paid to Olympics in accordance with Article 33(5)(b) of the Premier League Regulations.
Additionally, Medeama was fined GH¢1, 000 as transportation expense of Olympics.
Olympics told the committee chaired by Osei Kwadwo Adow Esq. that Nana Kofi Babil was unqualified to play in the said match, having received cautions in three league matches (Match days 1,6 and 11) and attached the caution letters as evidence and the starting lineup for the Match day 12 league match.
But Medeama in their response urged the committee to dismiss the protest and that it had no merit.
Medeama argued that the Premier League Regulations which Great Olympics relied on (Article 28.1.e of the Premier League Regulations) is ambiguous, vague, has no meaning and could not be applied to adjudicate the case in question.
Medeama SC stated that the operative clause is a caution in three league matches and that if the framers of the law envisaged accumulation of cautions the law would have stated explicitly that “an unqualified player is a player who has received a caution EACH in three league matches.
However, on the question whether player Nana Kofi Babil had received cautions in three previous matches as claimed by Olympics, the Committee said their exhibits from the GFA Competitions Department and the Competition Management System of the GFA confirmed that player Nana Kofi Babil in fact received three cautions in the 2019/20 Ghana Premier League on the said match days.
The attached starting list for the match also confirmed that player Nana Kofi Babil was named in the Match List and actually played in the said match.
The Committee also finds that there is no ambiguity in the provision and that the absence or otherwise of the word “EACH” does not create any ambiguity whatsoever in the provision.
BY TIMES SPORTS REPORTER
