SIARAN MEDIA: PULAU PINANG DIPOTONG ENAM MATA LIGA PREMIER SELEPAS GAGAL IKUT ARAHAN FIFA

2019-07-21

Saingan Liga Premier 2019 melabuhkan tirainya malam tadi dengan kesemua 11 pasukan masing-masing telah pun menamatkan 20 perlawanan mereka musim ini.

Jika mengikut kiraan mata, Pulau Pinang berjaya menamatkan kedudukan di tangga ketiga berkongsi 30 mata dengan PDRM di tangga keempat, berdasarkan kelebihan perbezaan gol.

Namun mengikut arahan Persekutuan Bolasepak Antarabangsa (FIFA), Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia (FAM) terpaksa mengumumkan bahawa pasukan Pulau Pinang secara serta merta dipotong enam mata dalam saingan Liga Premier 2019 menjadikan jumlah mata muktamad mereka adalah 24 mata, jatuh ke tangga ketujuh.

Hukuman daripada FIFA dikeluarkan selepas Persatuan Bolasepak Pulau Pinang (FAP) gagal mengikut arahan dan tempoh masa ditetapkan Jawatankuasa Tatatertib FIFA bagi menjelaskan tuntutan rasmi daripada bekas pemain pertahanan import dari Brazil, Reinaldo Lobo yang beraksi bersama pasukan Pulau Pinang selama tiga musim dari 2015 hingga 2017.

Pada 25 Mac 2019, FIFA telah menghantar keputusan Jawatankuasa Tatatertib FIFA yang mengarahkan supaya FAP membayar kepada Reinaldo sebanyak USD90,000 bersama faedah sebanyak 5%. FIFA juga telah mengenakan denda tambahan sebanyak USD10,000 kerana kegagalan FAP membuat bayaran seperti yang telah diarahkan oleh NDRC FIFA. Kegagalan FAP membuat pembayaran tersebut dalam masa 30 hari akan menyebabkan pemotongan mata di dalam liga sebanyak 6 mata.

Pada 17 April 2019, FAP telah membuat pembayaran berjumlah USD92,597.72 (RM386,391.77) ke akaun bank Reinaldo. Pembayaran tersebut telah dibuat oleh FAP secara terus kepada Reinaldo tanpa melalui FAM.

Bagaimanapun pada 29 April 2019, peguam Reinaldo telah menghantar surat kepada FIFA yang memaklumkan bahawa telah menerima pembayaran daripada FAP dengan bayaran sebanyak USD92,597.72. Namun, peguam Reinaldo memaklumkan bahawa pembayaran penuh yang sepatutnya adalah sebanyak USD97,041.83 iaitu baki bayaran sebanyak USD4,444.11 lagi yang perlu dibayar oleh FAP. Salinan surat berkenaan hanya dihantar kepada FAP tanpa ia dihantar kepada FAM, sekali gus FAM tidak menerima sebarang maklumat mengenai hal tunggakan baki bayaran tersebut.

Pada 28 Jun 2019, FIFA menghantar surat kepada FAM yang memaklumkan bahawa FAP telah gagal membuat pembayaran dalam tempoh yang telah diberikan. Untuk itu, FIFA menuntut bukti pemotongan 6 mata liga dihantar kepada mereka selewat-lewatnya pada 3 Julai 2019. Di sini FAM telah pun membuat rayuan pertama dengan fakta tambahan untuk FIFA pertimbangkan iaitu mengenai berlakunya kekeliruan dalam kadar pertukaran wang asing yang mana FAP merujuk kepada kadar yang termaktub di dalam kontrak pemain manakala FIFA merujuk kepada kadar semasa.

Seterusnya pada 1 Julai 2019, FAP telah membuat baki bayaran kepada Reinaldo, namun wang tersebut mengambil masa untuk pemprosesan penghantaran ke akaun bank beliau di Brazil.

Pada 1 Julai 2019 itu juga, peguam Reinaldo telah memaklumkan kepada FIFA bahawa mereka akan memaklumkan baki bayaran tersebut sudah diterima sepenuhnya hanya apabila penghantaran wang tersebut diproses sepenuhnya ke akaun bank Reinaldo dan pada masa yang sama memaklumkan tidak mempunyai halangan sekiranya hukuman FIFA itu ditangguhkan terlebih dahulu.

Sebagai tindakan susulan, FAM telah menghantar surat rasmi kepada FIFA pada 2 Julai 2019 untuk meminta pandangan mereka serta status permohonan daripada Reinaldo sama ada hukuman tersebut boleh ditangguhkan sementara menunggu penyelesaian penerimaan baki pembayaran itu.

Pada 3 Julai 2019 iaitu tarikh sepatutnya hukuman potongan mata itu dibuat, peguam Reinaldo memaklumkan bahawa baki bayaran tersebut masih dalam proses perpindahan di dalam akaun pengadu dan tidak mempunyai halangan supaya hukuman tersebut ditangguhkan terlebih dahulu.

Hari berikutnya iaitu pada 4 Julai 2019, FAM sekali lagi telah menghantar surat rayuan kedua kepada FIFA supaya meneliti semula hukuman yang diberikan disebabkan pembayaran tersebut telah dibuat sepenuhnya dan dengan mengambil kira langkah-langkah proaktif yang telah diberikan oleh FAP dalam menyelesaikan baki tunggakan tersebut.

Pada 10 Julai 2019, peguam Reinaldo juga telah memberi pengesahan bahawa bayaran tersebut tersebut sudah pun diselesaikan sepenuhnya dan memohon supaya kes ini ditutup dan tindakan tatatertib terhadap FAP dibatalkan.

Namun pada 17 Julai 2019, FAM telah menerima surat daripada FIFA yang memaklumkan bahawa hukuman pemotongan enam mata terhadap FAP itu perlu dibuat selewat-lewatnya sebelum 22 Julai 2019 kerana walaupun pembayaran telah diselesaikan sepenuhnya akan tetapi FAP telah melanggar perintah FIFA yang mengarahkan pembayaran penuh perlu dibuat dalam tempoh 30 hari dari tarikh keputusan asal. FAM sekali lagi pada 18 Julai 2019 telah pun membuat rayuan ketiga kepada FIFA.

Tetapi hari ini, hari terakhir untuk membuat potongan mata seperti diarah oleh FIFA dan dengan rayuannya didapati masih tidak diterima FIFA, FAM pada hari ini terpaksa juga memajukan surat arahan daripada FIFA tersebut kepada Malaysian Football League (MFL) untuk badan pengendali Liga Malaysia itu mengeluarkan surat rasmi pemotongan enam mata kepada pasukan Pulau Pinang dalam saingan Liga Premier 2019.

Meskipun FAM telah mengemukakan tiga rayuan kepada FIFA, FAM sedikit kesal kerana FIFA tetap bertegas mahu hukuman pemotongan mata itu dilakukan sedangkan FAP sudah menyelesaikan bayarannya yang mana disebabkan prosedur kadar tukaran mata wang asing dan proses pemindahan wang ke akaun luar negara menyebabkan berlaku sedikit kelewatan.

Dalam hal ini, FAM amat bersimpati dengan FAP dan pada masa sama tetap menghargai usaha yang dilakukan oleh pengurusan baharu FAP untuk cuba menyelesaikan juga kes lama ini dengan berjaya membayar sebanyak USD97,085.05 yang membabitkan tunggakan gaji akibat kecuaian pengurusan lama mengurus kes bekas pemain importnya itu.

Namun hanya akibat sedikit kesilapan dalam menyemak kadar tukaran mata wang asing mengikut kadar semasa dan kelewatan proses menyelesaikan baki tuntutan sebanyak USD4,444.11, mereka telah menerima hukuman daripada FIFA ini.

Dengan apa yang berlaku ini, sama juga seperti apa yang dialami Kelantan apabila dipotong tiga mata pada 11 April 2019, FAM sekali lagi ingin menasihat dan memberi peringatan kepada ahli-ahli gabungan yang lain supaya jangan sesekali mengambil mudah arahan berkaitan hukuman yang telah dijatuhkan oleh FIFA atau AFC.

Ini kerana, kesan dan akibatnya nanti terpaksa ditanggung oleh pasukan masing-masing apabila pemotongan mata terpaksa dilakukan, sekali gus menjejaskan kedudukan pasukan dalam saingan liga.

 

Stuart Ramalingam

Setiausaha Agung Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia (FAM)

 

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MEDIA RELEASE: PENANG DEDUCTED SIX PREMIER LEAGUE POINTS AFTER FAILING TO ADHERE TO FIFA’S INSTRUCTIONS

 

2019-07-21

The 2019 Premier League season has come to a close last night with all 11 participating teams already playing out their 20 matches of the season. 

According to the points count, Penang successfully ended their season at third with 30 points - same points total with fourth-placed PDRM but with a more superior goal difference.

However in accordance to the instructions by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is forced to announce that Penang have been deducted six points from their 2019 Premier League season which means they end the season with 24 points, dropping to seventh.

The punishment from FIFA was issued after the Football Association of Penang (FAP) failed to follow their instructions and time frame set by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to settle official claims by their former Brazilian import defender, Reinaldo Lobo who played for Penang for 3 seasons, from 2015 to 2017.

On 25th March 2019, FIFA sent a decision from the FIFA Disciplinary Committee which instructed FAP to pay Reinaldo a sum of USD90,000 with interest of 5%.  FIFA also imposed an additional fine of USD10,000 due to FAP's failure to make the initial payments as directed by the FIFA NDRC.  FAP’s failure to make the payment within 30 days will result in a 6-point deduction in their domestic league.

On 17th April 2019, FAP made a payment of USD92,597.72 (RM386,391.77) to Reinaldo's bank account. The payment was made by FAP directly to Reinaldo without going through FAM.

However, on 29th April 2019, Reinaldo's lawyer sent a letter to FIFA informing them that the player had received payment from FAP for USD92,597.72.  However, Reinaldo's lawyer informed that the full payment should be USD97,041.83, with the balance of USD4,444.11 still yet to be paid by FAP.  A copy of the letter was only sent to FAP and not to FAM, thus FAM did not receive any information on the arrears.

On 28th June 2019, FIFA sent a letter to FAM informing that FAP has failed to make payment within the given period. For that, FIFA demanded that the evidence of the 6-point deduction from the domestic league to be submitted to them by 3rd July 2019. Here, FAM appealed for the first time to FIFA with additional facts for them to consider whereby confusion arose regarding the foreign currency exchange rate - with FAP referring to the rate stated in the player’s contract while FIFA referred to the current rate at the point.

On 1st July 2019, FAP reimbursed Reinaldo the balance, but the money took some time to process as it was being transferred to his bank account in Brazil.

On 1st July 2019, Reinaldo's lawyer informed FIFA that they will notify them if the payment has been fully received only when the remittance is fully processed into Reinaldo's bank account and at the same time informed them that their party will not object if FIFA decided to put the punishment on hold.

As a follow-up action, FAM sent an official letter to FIFA on 2nd July 2019 to asked for their view and status of the Reinaldo's application, whether the sentence could be suspended while pending completion of the balance of payment.

On 3rd July 2019, which was the date the points deduction would come into effect, Reinaldo’s lawyer informed FIFA that the balance of the payment was still in the transfer process in the plaintiff’s account and will not stand in the way if the punishment was to be delayed.

The following day, which was on the 4th July 2019, FAM once again sent a second appeal letter to FIFA to reconsider the punishment given as the payment was made fully and taking into consideration FAP taking proactive steps to settle the unpaid wages.

On 10th July 2019, Reinaldo’s lawyer also confirmed to FIFA that the full payment has indeed been made and called for the case to be closed and that the discplinary action on FAP be dropped.

However on 17th July 2019, FAM received a letter from FIFA informing that the six-point deduction has to be carried out latest by 22nd July 2019 because even though the payment was settled fully, FAP still failed to comply to FIFA’s instructions which was to settle the full payment within 30 days of receiving the initial decision. FAM once again on 18th July 2019 made a third appeal to FIFA.

Since today is the last day to impose the points deduction as instructed by FIFA and with the unsuccessful appeals to FIFA, FAM today is forced to forward the letter from FIFA to the Malaysian Football League (MFL) for the governing body of the League of Malaysia to issue a formal letter of a six-point deduction to Penang in their 2019 Premier League campaign.

Although FAM has submitted three appeals to FIFA, FAM regrets FIFA’s decision to press on with the points deduction punishment even though FAP settled the payment but was delayed only by the foreign currency exchange rate procedure and the process of fund transfer to a foreign account.

In this respect, FAM sympathises with FAP and at the same time, appreciates the efforts made by FAP's new management to try and resolve their old case involving the payout of their former player's salary by successfully paying USD97,085.05 which included unpaid wages due to the lackadaisical attitude of the previous management in handling this case of their former import player.

But only due to a misunderstanding of the foreign currency exchange rate at that point of time and slight delay in settling the balance of claims amounting to USD4,444.11, they have received the punishment from FIFA.

In light of this, as well as the same occurrence to Kelantan when they were deducted three points on 11th April 2019, FAM again would like to advise and warn other affiliates not to take instructions regarding penalties imposed by FIFA or AFC for granted.

This is because the consequences will eventually have to be borne by the respective teams, and with points deduction involved hence affecting the team’s league position.

 

Stuart Ramalingam

Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) General Secretary