The Ghana Football Association Disciplinary Committee has fined Division One side Tarkwa United following their failure to turn up to play the MTN FA Cup Preliminary Round match against Vimabe F.C. at Bibiani on January 29, 2015 without notification to the GFA and permission from the GFA.
The club’s action is deemed to have breached Articles 7(d) and 11(b) of the FA Cup Regulations which states that:“A Club failing to give satisfactory reason for withdrawing from the FA Cup shall in addition to any other action considered appropriate not be allowed to enter the FA Cup in the following two (2) seasons and shall be liable to such fine as the Disciplinary Committee considers appropriate”.
Tarkwa United in their Statement of Defence pleaded guilty to the charge, waived their rights to a personal hearing and submitted a written plea for leniency.
They claimed to have had a misunderstanding as to the date of the match.
In its decision, the Disciplinary Committee stated that:
1. That Tarkwa United shall forfeit any entitlement due a club which plays in the Preliminary Round of the MTN FA Cup (amount and/or MTN products) and shall refund same if they had already received same, within fourteen (14) days from the date of receipt of this Decision.
2. That Tarkwa United is hereby fined an amount of Five Hundred Ghana Cedis (GHc500.00) to be paid to the Ghana Football Association within fourteen (14) days from the date of receipt of this Decision, an amount of Two Hundred Ghana Cedis (GHc200.00) of which shall be paid to Vimabe FC by the GFA for their loss of proceeds for the match.
3. That Vimabe FC being the Home Team shall not be entitled to cost in respect Transportation.
4. That should Tarkwa United be dissatisfied with this Decision, the club has within two (2) days of being notified of this Decision to appeal to the Appeals Committee (see Article 31(b) of the FA Cup Regulations).
In view of the fact that Tarkwa United have been declared losers of the said match by the FA Cup Committee, Vimabe FC have consequently qualified to the Round of 64 stage of the MTN FA Cup which will be played on March 18.