Dunfermline chairman seeking compensation from SFA

Tuesday 13 December 2011

John Yorkston, chairman of Dunfermline Athletic, has written to both the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Premier League expressing his unhappiness at Bobby Madden's decision to call off Saturday's encounter with Kilmarnock due to fog.

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Yorkston would not disclose the full contents of the letter, preferring to give the SFA, who are in charge of officials, time to respond. However, he stood by his comments from Saturday, when, following a 1.30pm inspection, Madden determined the fixture should be postponed as a result of the freezing mist which had shrouded East End Park.

Madden insisted an early decision was paramount in the interests of safety but, by 3pm, Jim McIntyre's side were conducting a training session after the fog had cleared. "It wasn't the time to make that call," Yorkston said. "It [the fog] was lifting and it was a lot better than it had been at 1pm. The weather forecast said it was going to totally lift, but he [Madden] was not interested. He'd made his decision and that was it."Madden is understood to have the support of the SFA, having adhered to protocol and Dunfermline are not seeking action against him. However, it is believed the authorities are discussing how to put more onus on the clubs should they be eager to delay a postponement once the referee has reported his decision at 1.30pm.Yorkston, who estimated the call-off cost somewhere between £20,000 and £40,000, would have preferred the decision to be delayed but he believes match officials should still make the final call. "The referees should be the final arbiter, but they should use common sense and speak to folk," he said. "The referee wasn't asked to come and do an early inspection by the club. If we'd had any concerns, we would have asked him in. It's an SFA thing and we're asking for compensation."

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Dunfermline chairman seeking compensation from SFA

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