Levein and Hogg will fight 10-match ban

RAY HEPBURN

29 Sep 1994

CRAIG Levein, the former captain of Hearts, is certain to appeal against the 10-match suspension handed down to him, and team-mate Graeme Hogg, by the SFA yesterday.

The players appeared before the disciplinary committee at Park Gardens after a fight in a pre-season friendly against Raith Rovers at Stark's Park.

An amateur video, taken at the Fife ground on August 9, showed Hogg trying to head-butt Levein and the Scottish internationalist retaliating with his fist after a heated argument.

Former Manchester United centre back Hogg seems also likely to take his case to appeal, after both players had already been punished heavily by the Edinburgh club.

In addition to the automatic suspension and disciplinary points, the players were fined the maximum of two weeks' wages, while Levein also was stripped of the captaincy.

The problems piled up for Hogg when it was disclosed last night that he begins a three-match suspension on Saturday as a result of previous incidents.

That, of course, means he is facing 13 matches on the sidelines.

It will be January before he can play again.

The appeal procedure would set aside the 10-match suspensions until the Appeal Tribunal could be convened, but if that fails, the loss of Levein, particularly, would be a blow to Hearts.

He has been outstanding so far this season as the Tynecastle team have recovered from a hesitant start to record successive home victories against Dundee United and Kilmarnock.

Hogg, who suffered a broken nose in the incident, and later had the fracture reset, only has appeared once in a competitive games since, when replacing Gary Locke against Rangers at Ibrox three weeks ago.

Without an appeal, both players would be out of action until Hearts face Celtic at Hampden on December 10, while Levein also would miss European Championship qualifying matches for Scotland against the Faroe Islands, Russia, and Greece.

Neither Levein nor Hogg made any comment as they left the SFA's Park Gardens' offices with team manager Tommy McLean, and Hearts decided not to respond until a later board meeting.

Meantime, Airdrie assistant manager John McVeigh was banned yesterday from the dug-out for one year and fined £500 by the SFA after having been reported for his comments to a linesman during a reserve match earlier this month against Clydebank.

Dumbarton defender John Boyd was suspended for three matches by the committee for spitting at an opponent during a pre-season game at Lesser Hampden against Queen's Park.

Taken from the Herald