Aberdeen have revealed they have reached out to Scottish Premiership rivals after the fresh request to have Graeme Shinnie's red card overturned was turfed out.
It comes after Joe Harper urged other top flight sides to back the Pittodrie club against Hampden chiefs who, he claims, think they’re “impenetrable”. Aberdeen’s original appeal over Shinnie’s sending off was booted out on Tuesday - with the SFA adding an extra game on as punishment for what they deemed a “frivolous” appeal.
And now the Dons have doubled down on their appeal for change as Shinnie gets set to serve a four–game ban. A club statement said: "Following our request to the Scottish FA for Graeme Shinnie’s appeal to be re-heard by a freshly constituted fast track tribunal, we have been informed that this has been dismissed. We now have no further recourse, so Graeme will miss the next four Scottish Premiership matches.
"We have taken the temperature of several Premiership clubs and will now pro-actively work with clubs and the Scottish FA to bring about sensible and positive governance changes for the benefit of Scottish football."
Dons legend Harper condemned the treatment of the Dons hero and claims the decision to dismiss the appeal reeks of sheery hypocrisy. Writing for the Press and Journal, Harper said: "With their shocking treatment of Graeme Shinnie, the Scottish FA surely think they are impenetrable as an organisation – but those walls need to be knocked down.
"To hammer Dons captain Shinnie with a four-match ban after a tackle which didn’t even deserve a red card is a disgrace. Aberdeen rightly stood up to the SFA, brandishing the ban – following an unsuccessful appeal against the dismissal – as 'ridiculously harsh' and urging them to urgently review the appeal. Good on the Dons for taking a stance.
"Now other Scottish clubs need to come out in support of Aberdeen and Shinnie to create a unified voice which shows this will not be tolerated. Strength in numbers.
"It will be for the benefit of all clubs in the long run if they stand together and take a stance against the injustice of Shinnie’s ban. I was left in stunned disbelief when Shinnie was hit with an extra game ban because the independent appeals tribunal deemed the red card appeal 'frivolous' with no chance of success.
"Frivolous? Really. The sheer arrogance to suggest that is infuriating. Due to the so-called frivolous nature of the appeal, a further game ban was slapped on for good measure, taking it from three to four.
"It smacks of 'how dare you go against our judgement'. What a joke. Shinnie and the Dons should be perfectly entitled to appeal without the threat of a longer suspension. It is a grossly unfair rule, and needs to be abolished as soon as possible. The injustice of the extra game ban only adds insult to injury after the wrongful red card issued to Shinnie by referee Euan Anderson following a VAR review in Dingwall. It was never a sending off."
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