Soccer:Dunfermline won their appeal against their expulsion from this season's Active Nation Scottish Cup, but the Fife club have been ordered to replay their fourth-round tie against Stenhousemuir at their opponents' Ochilview home and were fined around €34,000.
The Pars' expulsion came partly as the result of fielding Calum Woods, who came off the bench in the second half of the 7-1 win at East End Park on January 9th, despite the Scottish Football Association's official suspensions list declaring him banned for the match.
The club were also punished for further administrative errors, including submitting an inaccurate team line, altering a named substitute and not registering two outfield under-21 players.
A three-person independent panel, consisting of Hamilton secretary Scott Struthers, Gordon Law, former president of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and solicitor Stephen Miller, met at Hampden today to hear their case.
After more than five hours of deliberation, including an afternoon adjournment, they ruled that the decision be overturned.
And although Dunfermline will be fined around €34,000 in total, €23,000 of which was for playing Woods, the club have the chance to make up the deficit if they beat Stenhousemuir for the second time.
The winners host Celtic in the fifth round in a game which Pars chief executive John Yorkston was quoted as saying could be worth as much as €287,000.
There was no disguising the relief in the voice of Dunfermline director of football, Jim Leishman, who said: "We got a fair hearing and we are delighted to still be in the cup.
"We can still only apologise to the Dunfermline fans that we are in this situation but we are delighted that we are still in the cup.
"Last week we thought we were out of the cup but we got the chance to present our case and we are delighted to have the opportunity to go forward.
"We will be making an official statement but we are delighted."
Gordon Smith, chief executive of the Scottish FA, commented: "We are surprised by the decision after what the Emergency Committee considered a number of serious infringements of the cup competition rules by Dunfermline Athletic.
"Nonetheless, we respect the decision of the Appeals Board and hope that the situation involving Dunfermline Athletic, and the sanctions imposed on them tonight, will ensure all participating clubs are mindful of the cup competition rules in the future."