AMSA Appeal Process

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If you have received a straight red card during a match, or if your team has violated AMSA rules, the League will send you and/or your captain a “notice of penalties” email by the following Wednesday. Once you receive the notification, if you decide to appeal the red card or penalties imposed for something other than a red card, please follow the steps in the AMSA Appeal Process below.

Before you proceed, please note the following:

        1. Per AMSA Rule 5.7-3 (see below), the Discipline & Procedures (D&P) Committee does not automatically grant appeal hearings.

        2. Per AMSA Rule 5.7-4 (see below):

          • Disagreeing with the referee’s judgment or opinion is not a valid basis for an appeal.

          • Red cards for receiving 2 cautions cannot be appealed.

 AMSA Appeal Process: How to File an Appeal

  1. Send an email stating the basis of your appeal to appeals@austinmenssoccer.com by 5 PM on the first Friday after you received the notice of penalties for either a red card or something other than a red card. Please be sure to include your team’s name, the opposing team’s name, and the date of the game in your appeal email.
    If you have any other forms of evidence to support your appeal, please include that with your email to appeals@austinmenssoccer.com. It is not the responsibility of AMSA to gather this evidence on your behalf.
  2. Players who submit an appeal are required to sit out the first week after receiving a Red Card.
  3. The Discipline & Procedures (D&P) Committee will then review your appeal.
    • If the D&P Committee unanimously determines that you have no valid basis for an appeal, then you will receive notification that your appeal has been denied without a hearing, and the fine and suspension will stand.
    • If the Committee determines that you have a valid basis for an appeal, then you will be informed of the Committee’s decision by email.
    • If the Committee determines that an appeal hearing is warranted, then you will be instructed to send a $50 Appeal Bond deposit check payable to:
      AMSA, 4408 Spicewood Springs Road, Austin, TX 78759, by the Friday before your scheduled appeal hearing. This check will be held until the outcome of your appeal hearing has been determined.
  4. If your appeal is granted and/or a hearing is scheduled, you are free to play (after you have served the mandatory one-game suspension in the case of receiving a red card) until the outcome of your appeal has been determined. NOTE: In cases of referee assault or fighting, AMSA requires mandatory immediate suspension from all AMSA matches, pending appeal hearing.
  5. Do not pay your fine for penalties imposed until the outcome of your appeal and/or hearing has been determined.
  6. If an appeal hearing is scheduled, AMSA will let you know the date of your appeal hearing at least 7 days in advance.

If you have any questions about the Appeal Process, please contact the AMSA administrator: admin@austinmenssoccer.com.

Please note: The AMSA Administrator is not at liberty to discuss your red card incident with you. Once a red card is issued, it becomes a disciplinary matter, which is under the purview of the AMSA D&P Committee.

5.7 DISCIPLINE AND PROCEDURES (D&P) COMMITTEE
3. FILING APPEAL: A player, captain, or team upon whom a penalty is imposed may file an appeal. Appeals must be filed prior to the next scheduled match, although AMSA has the authority to extend this deadline as necessary but is under no obligation to do so. Appeals must be submitted in writing, and must state (a) the grounds for the appeal and (b) the evidence in support of the appeal.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Discipline & Procedures Committee does not automatically grant hearings. In fact the standard for granting such hearings is set high and any appeal must state a compelling and valid basis for relief.

4. LIMITATIONS ON GROUNDS FOR APPEAL.
a. A Referee’s decision on facts may not be appealed. Any facts contained in the match report or any supplemental report obtained from the Referee shall be conclusive of the facts, unless revised by the Referee before the hearing. The Discipline & Procedures Committee has no power to make a fact-finding that differs from the Referees statement of facts.

b. A Yellow Card offense may not be appealed. A Red Card issued for an accumulation of two Yellow Cards may not be appealed.