The FAI have claimed there are "several inaccuracies" in a statement Kerry FC issued on Thursday that heavily criticised the process which saw their SSE Airtricity Men's First Division victory over Finn Harps annulled.
Kerry won 2-0 in Tralee on the opening night of the season, but the result has been scratched after the hosts and Finn Harps were both found to have fielded ineligible players, Stevan Stanic-Floody and Gavin Hodgins respectively. Wexford have also had to forfeit their opening night win over UCD for the same reason.
On Wednesday Harps issued a statement confirming they will appeal the decision.
The following day, Kerry followed suit. They have pleaded their innocence, saying: "The status of the player in question on the FAI Comet system was confirmed on February 5th, and was set to 'Active' on February 11th, by an FAI employee, meaning our player could be added to the matchday squad on February 14th, and given the green light to play for Kerry FC in the season opener by the FAI. Making our player eligible to play in the FAI’s system, is an action that can only be performed by an FAI employee."
Kerry also claimed an FAI disciplinary committee failed to attend a scheduled Zoom call last month.
"Kerry FC was invited to a Zoom call on March 10th, by an FAI Disciplinary Committee," their statement continued.
"On March 10th, members of Kerry FC attended the call and remained present on the call for up to an hour, waiting for the Disciplinary Committee. The Disciplinary Committee never showed.
"Kerry FC was notified by email from the FAI that the club did not attend the meeting with the Disciplinary Committee and was given options to annul or replay the match. We requested a meeting with the Disciplinary Committee to plead our case.
"On March 27th, a meeting took place where the Disciplinary Committee dismissed all the evidence we brought to the meeting.
"In summary, the FAI now claims that an error has occurred, but insists that the fault is not theirs, and that Kerry FC is to blame. They have issued our club a €1,000 fine and have ruled that our opening win against Finn Harps be forfeited. We do not believe that Finn Harps are disputing the result of the match.
"Rather than admitting to a system error and correcting the issue, the FAI has instead attempted to shift blame onto Kerry FC while silencing any dissent. Football should be governed with integrity, not intimidation. We will not accept being bullied into silence. Kerry FC calls on the FAI to immediately investigate this and take appropriate action."
The FAI have now responded to Kerry's account of the fallout with a strong statement of their own.
"The FAI would like to clarify several inaccuracies contained within Kerry FC's statement that was issued yesterday," it reads.
"The Independent Disciplinary Committee convened on 11 March 2025 to address several disciplinary matters, including the eligibility of a Kerry FC player.
"Due to the complex nature of this matter, which related to the eligibility of two players on opposition teams in the same fixture, the Independent Disciplinary Committee believed it was necessary to engage in detailed discussions before hearing Kerry FC’s submissions. While these discussions were ongoing Kerry FC were regularly updated by an FAI representative.
"Kerry FC subsequently informed an FAI representative that they would not participate in the disciplinary hearing. At the request of the Independent Disciplinary Committee, an FAI representative spoke to Kerry FC on multiple occasions to offer further opportunities to attend the disciplinary hearing, but these offers were declined."
Referencing the second disciplinary meeting on 27 March, the FAI continued: "The purpose of this disciplinary hearing was to allow Kerry FC make representations on their views on the appropriate sanction specifically, whether to annul the result of the game or replay the fixture. This hearing was notified to Kerry FC two weeks in advance and was not arranged at Kerry FC’s request.
"During the hearing, a Kerry FC representative was asked twice by the Legal Chair of the Independent Disciplinary Committee whether they had any concerns about the fairness of the disciplinary process and they explicitly confirmed they did not, directly contradicting their public statement.
"Any suggestion that the Independent Disciplinary Committee failed to attend a disciplinary hearing or that Kerry FC were denied due process is entirely false. The FAI strongly rejects Kerry FC’s claims of being 'bullied into silence' or subjected to any intimidation.
"The Independent Disciplinary Committee thoroughly examined the matter and made a decision in accordance with the FAI Disciplinary Regulations."
