Sport / Whitedale and Spurs could both miss out on league title
Shetland Football Association considering awarding the trophy to neither club for 2025 season
SPURS and Whitedale could both miss out on this season’s premier league title, with Shetland Football Association (SFA) considering awarding the trophy to neither club.
Lerwick Spurs are set to be docked points for fielding an ineligible player in two matches – against Scalloway and Whitedale – over the course of the season.
That would technically make Whitedale, who finished level with Spurs over the course of the campaign, the champions.
However, the SFA’s executive committee will meet in January to decide whether or not to award the Association Cup for the 2025 season.
Whitedale are understood to be furious about the latest update, with one figure at the club telling Shetland News any decision not to award them the title would be “absolutely shameful”.
It had been thought that Whitedale would be crowned champions after Spurs’ sanction.
Spurs lifted the trophy in early September after a 4-2 win over Whitedale in a play-off, which was needed after both teams finished on 27 points at the end of the season.
However Whitedale had made a complaint to the SFA before that game, after Spurs fielded an ineligible player against them in a 1-0 win in July.
A Spurs player featuring in the match was due to face a suspension, but this was not picked up at the time because they were registered as a trialist.
Whitedale’s appeal about Spurs’ ineligible player was lodged with the SFA weeks after the 72-hour deadline, which initially lead to the association deciding Spurs had no case to answer.
However, Whitedale appealed that decision to the Scottish Amateur Football Association (SAFA), which upheld the appeal and decided Spurs should be penalised.
The SFA has now told Whitedale its executive committee will meet in January to determine whether it awards the premier league trophy for the 2025 season.
Secretary Brydon Robertson explained that they had hoped to resolve the matter by now, but the need for the SFA to hold an EGM after it failed to find new committee members in October had prolonged the issue.
He said he had been tasked with completing a review about the incident, which had only been finished and presented to the new office bearers after last week’s EGM.
The findings of that review would be presented to the next full meeting of the SFA in January, he added, where Spurs’ points deduction would be set out.
However he said the SAFA had not given the SFA any specific instructions on what should happen in regard to the presentation of the premier league trophy.
Whitedale have not lifted the league title since 2018.
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