blueball.gif (262 bytes) Tues 1st May 2001 - City go second?
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Cardiff have moved unofficially into second place after the FL panel upheld the decision to deduct 9 points from Chesterfield and fine them £20,000. The FL are now expected to ratify the panels reccomendation and that will see Brighton confirmed as Champions, City are likely to finish second and Chesterfield should get third spot.

A Cardiff City victory at Hartlepool will confirm second place if Chesterfield win tonight. If the Spirites fail to win tonight then City will be second anyway.

Providing this is approved by the FL then congratulations to Brighton on winning the title.

Report from www.skysports.com
Chesterfield have welcomed the decision by a Football League panel not to increase a nine-point penalty for financial irregularities.

The verdict means The Spireites can clinch promotion if they take a point off Brighton tonight (Tues) - provided the League ratify the recommendation of their three-man inquiry.

"This is a commonsense decision. The Footall League will have to ratify it otherwise they will completely undermine their own panel," said Chesterfield Chief Executive John Green moments after Tuesday's announcement.

Chesterfield had feared a much greater points deduction and even possible relegation from the Third Division.

The panel's original nine-point penalty was not ratified by the League who urged them to look again.

Most of the 90 charge of irregularities faced by Chesterfield, Mr. Brown, manager Nicky Law and his assistant Ian Banks, and 18 players were not proven, the inquiry decided after the original three-day hearing.

Chesterfield were seen to have breached league regulations in two cases - the first involving the transfer of striker Luke Beckett from Chester City last summer and the second relating to the under-reporting of gate receipts.

Report from www.bbc.co.uk
The Football League's disciplinary panel has decided Chesterfield's docking of nine points will remain unchanged.

The Spireites were found guilty of financial irregularities in April and their promotion to Division Two was under threat.

The League had refused to ratify the initial ruling and asked the panel to reconsider their verdict as they felt the punishment was too lenient.

On Tuesday, the panel re-affirmed their initial decision but it will once again need to be ratified by the League's board of directors.

Chesterfield chief executive John Green said he was happy that no more points were deducted.

"It's a commonsense decision made by a panel of three men who have been honourable throughout the hearing," he said.

"They were put in a position by the authorities above them to find another decision that suited their views and not a decision based on the facts presented at the hearing.

"The league have got to ratify the decision this time or it will completely undermine the panel."

The deduction would leave Nicky Law's side third in the table with 77 points, three above fourth-placed Hartlepool, who only have one game left to play.

The investigation surrounded the transfer of striker Luke Beckett from Chester City and the under-reporting of gate receipts.

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Copyright Michael Morris 2001.