Hamilton Accies: SFA ‘fit and proper’ ruling against Zengin & Strain

Troubled Hamilton Academical have been left without a director, while a Scottish FA ruling also bans the League One club’s owner from the day-to-day running of affairs.

The governing body state that neither Seref Zengin nor Gerry Strain are “fit and proper to hold a position” in the game.

Owner Zengin resigned as a director last month, while chairman Jock Brown recently stood down, which had left Strain as the sole director.

Accies were relegated from the Championship last season following a 15-point deduction for a variety of regulation breaches, including issues over stadium ownership.

In October, they were docked six points after further transgressions, among them paying trialists and fielding amateur players while under a transfer embargo.

If Hamilton do not comply with the SFA’s bans on Zengin and Strain, they face the possibility of further penalties.

Accies are seventh in the table, having been knocked off top spot by this term’s points deduction.

The SFA say the club has “seven days to outline the steps it intends to take to ensure it complies with its legal obligations”.

The findings against Zengin relate to “acknowledged responsibility for financial matters during a period when the club has demonstrated serious and sustained financial mismanagement, by repeatedly failing to pay individuals and organisations on time, including players, HMRC and employee pension funds.”

On Strain, the SFA cite multiple reasons for their verdict, including the wrongdoings outlined for October’s punishment, exiting the Club Academy Scotland programme and related child welfare concerns.