Headline: Partick Thistle Penalty: Points Deduction and Fine Imposed Following Amateur Payments Breach
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Partick Thistle has received a three-point deduction and a £6,000 fine from the Scottish Women’s Premier League due to improper payments made to players registered as amateurs last season.
After finishing sixth in the previous season, Thistle’s penalty now places them in second-to-last position in the current 10-team standings, three points adrift of Spartans.
This decision follows a hearing on Monday, during which the Glasgow club was found to have violated rules concerning payments to amateur players and providing incorrect information related to membership criteria documentation.
Half of the imposed fine is suspended until the end of the season. Although Thistle had the option to appeal the decision, the club stated on its website that it “acknowledges and accepts the verdict.”
The club further explained, “The circumstances which led to the breach of SWPL player rule 37 and competition rule E31.11 were a result of a failure of internal process, which has since been addressed and resolved so that it cannot occur in future.”
Thistle admitted their breach as soon as it was brought to their attention and expressed remorse, stating, “We apologise to our fans for the mistake and its consequences.”
With this development, bottom-placed Aberdeen has now narrowed the gap to just four points behind Thistle.
