grauniad Welsh clubs will break with more than a century of football tradition from next season and submit to cross-border regulation by the Football Association. Cardiff City and Swansea City have historically been dealt with by the FA of Wales, which has different regulations and disciplinary processes to its English counterpart. This is despite both clubs playing in English competitions.
A spokesman for the FAW told Digger: "All matters where the penalty can include sporting sanctions will be dealt with by the [English] FA, including doping and off-the-field issues." How this will take shape is currently the subject of ongoing discussion but Digger hears from another source that one possible outcome is for a representative of the FAW to sit in on any FA disciplinary panel involving a Welsh club.
The news of reform emerges after Digger exposed the FA's inability to sanction Cardiff City under third-party rules even if it is proved that the chairman of another football club has held a material influence over their transfer affairs. The Football League is currently investigating an arrangement Cardiff hold with an offshore entity, Player Finance Fund, that may be connected to the former Coventry City chairman, Ray Ranson. Cardiff deny the arrangement constituted third-party influence
No mention of whether either club are promoted, but it would be nice to get of the FAW obvious bias towards Welsh clubs competing in the English leagues.
