OLLIE HORGAN has hit out at the FAI’s disciplinary procedures as Finn Harps veteran Raffaele Cretaro is set for an ‘unjust’ suspension.
Cretaro will miss Friday’s game against Bohemians at Finn Park after accumulating five bookings.
However, Harps argue that one of Cretaro’s yellow cards was erroneous, but disciplinary chiefs would not take an admission from the match referee on board.
Cretaro was booked by referee Tomás Connolly in the first half of a 4-0 loss to Derry in May; a caution that should have been handed to team-mate Caolan McAleer.
“The referee acknowledged that he got the wrong person and put it in his report, but that report never made it to the discipline table,” Horgan claimed.
“We have since brought it to the attention of the powers that be who have told us, quote unquote, that the matter is now closed. The difficulty I have is that the matter was never opened.
“If it was heard and dealt with, we would take their decision. It didn’t reach that situation.”
Cretaro, who made his 500th appearance in the League of Ireland on Friday night when Harps beat Derry in Ballybofey, will now sit out Friday’s clash with Bohs.
Horgan said: “We find it unjust, but I’m sure we’re not the only club that finds the running of the discipline unit, not the people involved, just the whole process of it…it’s open to interpretation.
“We were told that we couldn’t have a hearing. We asked for a hearing and we had a copy of the referee’s report.
“Referees’ reports are Gospel, but the Gospel went out the window when the referee admitted his mistake.”
Cretaro has had a big influence on Harps’ bid to avoid the drop. Heading into the final series of matches, Harps are three points ahead of UCD.
Horgan says former Sligo Rovers star Cretaro is ‘devastated’.
He added: “I think this is a bridge too far and the whole system of how it works need looked at.
“Maybe we should get people from other sports to sit and adjudicate on what they see as fair play.”