A BAN MUST MEAN A BAN FA loophole' is unfair, says chief

FA loophole is unfair, says chief

- Andy Mitchell

 

A LOOPHOLE that allows non-contract players to play at lower levels while suspended risks making “a mockery” of competitions at Step 5 and below.

That is the assertion of Melksham Town chairman Darren Perrin after he discovered that players at Step 4 and above can dual register and feature lower down the system during bans.

The FA confirmed that provided players at Steps 1-4 are not contracted, they may dual register at Step 5 and lower – or vice versa – either before, directly after suspension offences or during bans and are free to play immediately. They can even play in the FA Vase while banned for matches in the FA Trophy.

The same suspension rules apply to contracted players but they would have to complete a formal loan where there is no scope to switch between two teams at different levels intermittently, a freedom that does come with dual registration.