ALBION Mountain FC of St Mary have been banned from Jamaica Football Federation’s (JFF) Tier II competition next season and were fined $50,000 by the Competitions Committee, after they failed to show up for Saturday’s final-round game against Lime Hall Academy at Clembhards Park.

The ruling was handed down on Wednesday, and a release from the JFF said the sanctions against the club were in keeping with Article 6 and 7.5 of the 2022-23 National Tier II Regulations.

Albion Mountain, who were to have hosted the game, will have to reimburse Lime Hall Academy “for damages or losses suffered by the club”. Additionally, according to Article 7.7, “No appeals may be lodged against these decisions. Furthermore, the guilty clubs shall forfeit any claim to financial remuneration from the JFF.”

Meanwhile, Lime Hall Academy have been awarded three points and a 3-0 margin, and have qualified for the semi-finals during which they will face Racing United at the Spanish Town Prison Oval in the first leg on Sunday.

Treasure Beach FC and Tru-Juice FC will meet in the other semi-final from which the winners over two legs will earn promotion to the Jamaica Premier League next season.

According to the release from the JFF, Article 7.5 says: “If a team does not report for a match — except in cases of force majeure recognised by the JFF Competitions Committee — or if it refuses to continue to play, or leaves the stadium/venue before the end of a match, the team shall be considered as having lost the match and three points shall be awarded to its opponents with a score of 3-0 or more if, in the case of an abandoned match, the winning team has already reached a higher score at the time the guilty team leaves the field. The guilty team shall be fined fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00). The team may also be referred to the JFF Disciplinary Committee for further actions to be taken in accordance with Article 69 of the JFF Disciplinary Code.

“Therefore, in keeping with the above-mentioned regulations, please note the following:

1. Match # 90 has been awarded to Lime Hall Academy FC by a scoreline of 3-0 and 2. Albion Mountain FC has been fined Fifty thousand dollars ($50,000). This is to be paid by 10 July 2023.”

Additionally, the release notes that Article 7.6 says: “The guilty team in Art [Article] 7.5 shall, as a rule, be excluded from further participation in the competition so that none of its matches will be deemed valid, unless the incidents mentioned in par. 5 [paragraph 5] occurred at its last match. In addition, the guilty club shall pay compensation for any damages or losses suffered by the other club(s). Furthermore, the guilty club shall be disqualified from taking part in the next National Tier II Competition and shall forfeit any claim to financial remuneration from the JFF.”