Dulwich Hamlet punished with “insane” £8,000 fine for missing fixtures
27.03.2021
The South London side Dulwich Hamlet Football Club rank among 16 National League North and South clubs facing punitive measures for failing to fulfil fixtures. In a recent statement, Dulwich revealed the unprecedented sanctions they face, as devised by the League’s independent panel.
For each game missed this season, each Step 2 team faces a £2,000 fine and a suspended two-point deduction for next year’s competition. The ruling came with the caveat that fines reduced by 30 per cent for any team who accepted their charges ahead of the hearing.
As Dulwich missed four games earlier this season, they face an £8,000 fine and an 8 point deduction for the 2021/2022 season. Between the 16 clubs to be punished for their fixture failings, fines range from £1,400 to £8,000, meaning Dulwich face the toughest sanctions in the division.
In their 13 games in the 2020/2021 season, Dulwich achieved 16 points. Their suspended 8 point deduction could therefore wipe months from their progress away, destroying their morale and threatening their future. These sanctions strike a devastating blow to a team already decimated by the health and financial crises in Britain.
Dulwich gestured to the fact that they only missed fixtures in the period leading up to the league’s “null and void” vote, which ultimately passed. In essence, the National League is fining a club for missing games in a null and void season. Not only that, but the points deductions will negatively affect the subsequent season, just when teams had the chance to return to normal.
This news also arrives in direct contrast to the League’s earlier statements last month. In February, when clubs who missed fixtures received notice of their charges, the League assured them that charges were “merely a mechanism” to keep track of events.
In response to understandable outrage from fans and neutrals online, Dulwich Hamlet concurred from their verified Twitter account, stating simply: “it’s all absolutely insane.”
Although Dulwich face the toughest sanctions in their step, they may console themselves by looking upwards at the National League top-flight. Stragglers Dover Athletic face an eye-watering £40,000 fine for their conduct this season. With lower-table teams impacted by fines and upper-table teams like Dorking and Gloucester seeking legal action, the National League can’t seem to keep either end of either step happy. As fans and neutrals reel at this latest development, calls for board resignations echo online.
