Sunshine George Cross will enter their fixture against the Dandenong Thunder this weekend with a four point deduction following the determination of a tribunal hearing for an incident during a pre-season friendly against local rivals the North Sunshine Eagles.
The NPL2 West side has also received a $1000 fine, while striker Ahmet Turer has been suspended for six competitive matches after pleading guilty to the charge of serious violent conduct.
Their opponents on the day have been fined $4000 and deducted 12 championship points ahead of their upcoming State League 1 North-West season, after the club was find guilty for participating in a violent melee.
Eagles President Besnik Kutleshi has also been found guilty of a number of charges relating to the melee, most notably bringing the game into disrepute, and as a result of this verdict has been banned from any involvement in the game within the State of Victoria for two years.
The above incident took place in a pre-season friendly match between the two teams on January 29 at the East Keilor Leisure Centre in Keilor East with no FFV match officials appointed for the fixture.
The match was abandoned in the 25th minute after an incident involving Turer; after the incident, players and associates of both clubs gathered on the field and participated in a melee which resulted in the abandonment of the fixture – with police having to be called onto the scene.
Further information about the incident can be found in this link: http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Determination-and-reasons.pdf
The punishment handed down to George Cross sees them lose their four competition points as they now occupy bottom place on the NPL2 West ladder alongside Bendigo City, as they visit Dandenong Thunder, who themselves face a potential three point penalty deduction.
It is alleged that in form Thunder forward Amir Osmancevic should have sat out the Thunder’s opening round 4-0 victory over Nunawading City after picking up his fifth yellow card of the 2015 season while playing for the Peninsula Strikers in State League 2 in 2015.
The 20-year-old striker collected his fifth booking of the season in the Strikers final league game of the season against Old Melburnians meaning he was ruled out of the following competitive fixture which carried over into the season was the Thunder’s 4-0 triumph over Nunawading.
Osmancevic scored two goals in that match as well as providing an assist and if found guilty will by precedent miss one league match with the Thunder being deducted three points which would be given to City.