Partick Thistle docked three points and fined over women's player payments
Partick Thistle have lost three points and been fined £6,000 by the Scottish Women's Premier League, the top flight of women's football in Scotland, after the league found the club broke its rules.
The league's ruling, reported by the BBC, found two breaches. The first concerned payments made to players registered as amateurs last season. Amateur registration means a player is not meant to be paid for playing, so the payments were the problem.
The second breach involved incorrect information in a certificate and an undertaking document. These are formal papers a club must complete to show it meets the league's membership criteria, the conditions for being in the competition at all.
Half of the £6,000 fine is suspended until the end of the season. A suspended fine is only paid if the club breaks the rules again within that period.
The points deduction changes the table. Thistle now sit second from bottom in the 10-team league, three points behind Spartans. Bottom side Aberdeen are four points behind Thistle.
Thistle said the club "acknowledges and accepts" the verdict. There was no suggestion in the ruling that the club would appeal, and no word on any further action.
Points are the currency of a league table. Every team gets three for a win and one for a draw, so a deduction can outweigh a whole week of good results. With only ten teams, the gap to the sides above is now the number Thistle will be watching as the season moves on.
The case is a reminder that a league's rules cover more than what happens on the pitch. Paperwork and pay sit behind every match, and when either goes wrong, the scoreboard in the table is where the cost shows up first.
