SFA ready to kick Hawick out of game, warns Peat

Published on Wednesday 30 September 2009 23:45

SCOTTISH Football Association president George Peat has pledged to take the strongest possible action – including possible expulsion of the club from Scottish football – against anyone found guilty of illegal betting on Hawick Royal Albert's elimination from the Active Nation Scottish Cup last weekend.

Lothian and Borders Police are investigating claims that players and supporters of the East of Scotland League club placed bets at odds of 50-1 on the correct scoreline of 7-0 by which Huntly won the first-round tie at Albert Park on Saturday.

It is also alleged further bets were made at odds of 3-1 for Hawick to concede a penalty kick at any time in the match. The home team's Gavin Watson was sent off for deliberate handball in conceding the penalty from which Huntly scored their first goal after 22 minutes.

The SFA will not instigate any disciplinary proceedings of its own until the police investigation is concluded. But Peat, making the draw for the second round of the Scottish Cup yesterday, made it clear it will deal severely with any offenders.

"If a player or club is found guilty of betting on a match, they can be fined, suspended or expelled," said Peat. "That is set out clearly in the SFA articles and we would take the strongest action we can.

"There is a police investigation proceeding in this case and we are obviously going to wait for the outcome of that before we take any action. I honestly don't think it is a widespread problem in Scottish football. But is a blight on the game if it ever happens." Peat does not believe the claims will undermine the inclusion of more non-league teams. "I don't think so, it's just sad to hear there is an allegation there," he said.

Hawick officials questioned all of their players at a meeting on Tuesday night, with the allegations being denied.

Secretary Dougie Purves said: "I put it to the players, 'Did anyone involved on Saturday have a bet on Huntly, i.e. the correct score?' The response was 'No' from all players involved.

"I asked them, 'Did anyone have a bet on the penalty?' Again the answer was a unanimous 'No'.

"We asked everyone involved, which I was instructed to do by the SFA. We got them to sign a piece of paper against their name and that will be returned to the SFA with our letter. It's now in the police's hands."

Hawick are bottom of the East of Scotland League First Division – the second tier – and were rank outsiders against Highland League side Huntly, who were today drawn to face Auchinleck Talbot in the second round.

"We have already been beaten 9-0 this season, and 7-2," Purves added.

Andrzej-Slawomir Kleczkowski opened the scoring from the spot after Hawick defender Watson had been sent off for handling the ball on the line, but Purves insists the offence was an instinctive reaction.

"I was standing with an ex-goalkeeper and he turned to me and said, 'It's a goalkeeper's reaction', because Gavin was playing centre-half but he's a goalkeeper," Purves said.

The Football Association recently suspended and fined five players for betting on the outcome of a match between Accrington Stanley and Bury but Peat does not think there has been a similar problem in Scotland.

"To my knowledge it has never happened up here and I hope it would never happen up here," he said.

Peat, meanwhile, confirmed that allegations Scottish Football League president Brown McMaster breached SFA regulations on dual interest in clubs will be dealt with at Hampden today.

Livingston chairman Gordon McDougall has called for McMaster to resign from his position at the SFL, claiming the former Partick Thistle chairman transferred one-million shares in the Firhill club to family members while a director of Stenhousemuir.

SFL chief executive David Longmuir has defended McMaster, insisting his organisation is "comfortable" with the situation. The allegations will be considered at today's meeting of the SFA board, of which McMaster is a director.