BOTH GARETH McGlynn and Bohemians manager Pat Fenlon are amazed at the scale of the punishment given to the midfielder with regard to his betting on football matches last year when he was a Derry City player.
The club is likely to appeal against the two-month suspension imposed on the 27-year-old which, it believes, is at odds with the five matches incurred by then St Patrick’s Athletic player, Gary Dempsey, at the start of the 2009 season. “I am absolutely amazed at the decision,” said McGlynn. “The disciplinary committee have fully accepted I was not aware I was breaching the rule and yet they have punished me with a huge ban which could mean missing as many as 10 matches (in fact it could be more). It makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.
“I feel I’m being made a scapegoat for suspicious betting patterns in other matches which they completely agree have nothing to do with me and in which I had no betting interests. When compared to the ban Gary Dempsey received for betting on a match involving his own team, it shows a complete lack of consistency. I will, of course, be appealing the decision.”
Fenlon expressed astonishment the ban had been set out in terms of months rather than games. “It seems very peculiar that all of a sudden it’s a time-span rather than a set number of games,” he said. “All through the history of the league, as far as I’m aware, it’s been a question of players being suspended for a set number of games.
“The amount of time is also amazing,” added the manager who could be without the northerner for more than 10 games, including league clashes against Shamrock Rovers, St Patrick’s Athletic and Dundalk as well as matches in the Premier League and FAI Cups.
“I think in fairness to the lad he held his hand up and admitted what he’s done but they don’t seem to have taken any account of that. He is devastated because he’s a footballer and wants to play games and we want him to be available because he’s a good player so, yeah, I think the club will be looking to see what can be done about the situation.”
The Professional Footballers Association of Ireland general secretary, Stephen McGuinness, said while the players’ union is against “all forms of betting in the game and is doing its utmost to educate its members, it can’t stand for a good professional who made a small number of losing bets in matches involving other teams being hung out to dry so the FAI can send out a message. Justice must be done and must be seen to be done.”
On a different issue, Fenlon has expressed a preference for next month’s Setanta Sports Cup final being held at Tallaght amid suggestions financial considerations might result in either Bohemians or St Patrick’s Athletic being handed home advantage for the game which is scheduled for Saturday, May 15th.
“It’s a cup final and really it should be an occasion to match,” he said. “Ideally, that should involve a neutral venue but there’s talk if that proves too expensive to do then they might toss a coin and give one of us home advantage. My preference would probably be for Tallaght because of the game that it is but if it’s in Dalymount great and if it’s in Richmond then that’s okay too. I really don’t mind.”
A spokesman for the FAI said last night he was unaware of money being a major issue in terms of where the game would be held but acknowledged a final decision on a venue has yet to be taken.
