A three-man panel was scheduled to decide on Thursday whether Scottish Premiership side Inverness Caledonian Thistle defender Josh Meekings can play in the Scottish Cup final after the Scottish FA was heavily criticized by a leading FIFA figure on Wednesday. The "retrospective action was within the SFA's rules and regulations -- unanimously agreed when a new judicial panel protocol was created" in '11 -- because referee Steven McLean and his assistants "missed the incident" (LONDON TIMES, 4/23). ... UEFA and FIFA "warned the Greek Football Federation that it faces suspension" from int'l matches because of government interference. The Greek government "wants to pass laws on violence following a series of incidents at matches." Any new legislation "would breach" FIFA and UEFA rules on third-party influence on a national football federation (BBC, 4/22). ... The Somali Football Federation on Thursday "reiterated its call that African Union peacekeeping troops must withdraw from Stadium Mogadishu." This is the 7th time since '12 the SFF "is asking the African Union to move its forces from the facility so that it can be returned to the hands of the federation for its proper use" (APA, 4/23).
