Decision day in Spartans player case

SPARTANS will today learn if the are to be expelled from the Scottish Cup after fielding an ineligible player against Culter.

The East of Scotland League champions beat the Aberdeenshire juniors 2-0 in the second round but it is claimed that striker Keith McLeod was not eligible due to an administrative oversight.

The SFA’s three-man judicial panel will hear the Edinburgh club’s case at Hampden this morning and, if found guilty, the club face mandatory expulsion.

Although unlikely, the maximum punishment which could be doled out to Spartans would be a loss of payment for the round, a £100,000 fine and a one year suspension from the Cup – as well as ejection.

Spartans chairman Craig Graham and solicitor Allan Fraser will appear at the hearing. The fast-track system which will process the case has garnered praise this season for its swift decisions but this will be the first time such a situation has been dealt with by the judicial panel.

Culter will be the beneficiaries if Spartans are thrown out of the competition. They would be re-instated, and would be able to look forward to a notable home tie against Partick Thistle in the third round.