First Stone!

There's an old saying, biblical I think, that goes 'let him that is without sin, cast the first stone'. The reason for me quoting this is quite simple, United have been accused rightly or wrongly of paying amateurs excessively. Are they alone in this practice one might wonder? The answer of course is most definitely no. So whoever started this 'witch hunt' had best be careful and be 'squeaky clean', for this could rebound on them horribly. The rule regarding the payment of amateurs is vague to say the least anyway and in fact deems that if an amateur is paid over a fixed amount (don't ask me for figures, £50 is one I've heard, but I haven't a clue), then that player is deemed to be a professional. So in that respect if United are guilty in this instance, what are they in fact guilty of. Does the rule not say that these players (and its only a handful, 3 or 4 at the most), are in fact deemed to be professionals and United are doing nothing wrong by paying them over 'the odds', if in fact they are doing so. I heard a story some time ago of an amateur representing Norn Iron at -23 level and our glorious I.F.A. paying that player £150 per game, surely contravening their own rules, or is that okay because its them that are doing it and therefore its alright. My own interpretation of the amateur rule is quite vague and I believed, rightly or wrongly, that players kept their amateur status as it allowed them to move freely back into the amateur leagues without having to be reinstated as an amateur when their senior playing days were over. Ballymena I'm sure are guiltless in this matter and the I.F.A. would be well advised to let the matter drop, the last thing they need with a new league being set up, is to bring even more skeletons out of their own cupboard!