Corbisiero hits out at FAW over red card punishment

LLANELLI’S player representative Antonio Corbisiero has slammed the Football Association of Wales for its lack of support during the club’s financial troubles.

The former Swansea City midfielder joined boss Andy Legg in criticising the FAW following the governing body’s decision to increase a fine and suspension handed out to the manager, Luke Bowen and Chris Venables.

The three were all sent-off during the 3-0 Welsh Premier League defeat to Newtown in September, leaving them each facing a two-game ban and £100 fine having claimed they made an early guilty plea when the charges arrived in the post.

Legg and his two players say they asked the FAW if they could settle the fine after Llanelli chairman Nitin Parekh had given them their outstanding pay – Llanelli squad members and management recently went two months without salaries.

However, the FAW say the trio failed to notify them in time, meaning their punishments were increased to three matches and £150.

“How can a player be expected to pay a fine when he’s not being paid himself?” Corbisiero told the Llanelli Star. “We’ve also lost three players for another game, we’ve only got a small squad and we’re under a transfer embargo.

“After all that we’ve been through we feel like we’re getting no support whatsoever, it’s really disappointing. Just as things start to look a little brighter we take another step back.

“They (the FAW) told us to play games even though we weren’t getting paid because otherwise it would look bad on the league, then they do this to us.

“A fine of £150 is a lot of money to anyone, let alone if you are not getting paid.”

An FAW spokesman said Legg, Bowen and Venables could have received a less severe £100 fine and two-game ban under the reduced penalty regulation, but added that the trio failed to respond to the charges in time to qualify for the more lenient punishment.

The Llanelli players were due to get paid for October yesterday. Llanelli also have debts with other creditors that need to be settled, while Parekh has submitted a financial rescue plan to the league.