Partick Thistle have been handed a three-point deduction and a £6,000 fine by the Scottish Women's Premier League after being found guilty of making payments to players registered as amateurs during the previous campaign. The league confirmed that half of the financial penalty imposed on the Glasgow outfit has been suspended until the end of the current season.
The sanction was decided following a hearing on Monday, where the club was officially found to have breached rules concerning payments to amateur players. Thistle were also penalised for "submitting incorrect information regarding the submission of the certificate and undertaking document required as part of the membership criteria process."
Although the Glasgow club retained the right of appeal, they announced on their website that they have decided not to challenge the penalty, stating that the club "acknowledges and accepts the verdict." Explaining the administrative lapse, Thistle stated: "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 can not occur in future." They confirmed that "the club admitted the breach immediately when brought to our attention" before adding, "We apologise to our fans for the mistake and its consequences."
The points loss significantly alters the landscape in the 10-team table, causing Thistle—who finished in sixth place last season—to slide from eighth down to ninth place, occupying the second-bottom spot. Moving forward, Partick Thistle now sit three points behind Spartans, while bottom-of-the-table Aberdeen are just four points adrift of the Glasgow side.
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