AFC Wimbledon's points deduction slashed after Blair call

An FA appeal board slashed the points deduction imposed on non-league AFC Wimbledon from 18 points to three yesterday, days after the club got the backing of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The Ryman League club had been sanctioned for fielding an ineligible player, midfielder Jermaine Darlington, who had not been given international clearance after leaving Cardiff City.

Though the appeal board said the Ryman League's deduction was "wholly in accordance" with the rules, it added that "the deduction of 18 points was excessive."

Blair intervened in the affair last week, telling the House of Commons that the points regulation "sounds like a daft rule and someone should change it".

AFC Wimbledon, formed five years ago by former Wimbledon fans who objected to the original club's move from southwest London to Milton Keynes, are bidding for promotion that would put them into the Conference South, two divisions below the Football League.