Macclesfield Town could face a points deduction that would leave them bottom of League Two after being charged by the EFL on three counts, including failing to pay several players their March wages on time.

The matter is with an independent disciplinary commission and if the club, who have said they will contest the charges, are found guilty a points deduction is possible. Macclesfield are second bottom of League Two, three points above Stevenage.

In May Macclesfield were given a seven-point deduction for the failure to play December’s match against Plymouth and the non-payment of wages, and in March an independent hearing reduced a 10-point deduction for the non-payment of wages and for failing to fulfil a fixture against Crewe to a seven-point penalty, with three suspended. In total the club has been deducted 11 points.

The Silkmen Supporters’ Trust loaned £10,000 to help pay the remaining 20% of April wages after all players and staff were placed on to the government’s furlough job retention scheme.

An English Football League statement said: “The club has been charged with failing to pay a number of players on the applicable payment dates due in March 2020, whilst also failing to act with utmost good faith in respect of matters with the EFL and for breaching an order, requirement, direction or instruction of the league.”

Macclesfield responded by saying they would “be appealing these charges vehemently” and were “deeply surprised” by the EFL’s move. May’s wages are understood to be paid on time and in full.

The club also highlighted part of an independent panel’s findings from May’s hearing, which stated: “The commission should make it clear that it does not consider that MTFC’s tardiness (yet again) to pay the players’ remuneration for March on time necessarily requires a further charge. Given its reasoning and conclusions as above, it would require strong persuasion to impose a yet further points deduction for any such breach (albeit the sixth monthly failure this season to pay players promptly).”

The league has stipulated that promotion and relegation should take place in all of its leagues, despite an overwhelming majority of League Two clubs indicating a preference to curtail the season without relegating the bottom club.

(KMAland) — We are moving into the 21^st week of the 2019-20 sports calendar year. Are you having fun yet? On to Seven Points…

Point 1: The Chiefs – yes, the Chiefs! – are going to the Super Bowl

As a young lad, I found a love and a passion for Kansas City professional athletics. Of course, I chose the one that played in the baseball stadium rather than the football stadium. Well, to say that I chose it would be a bit disingenuous. My dad put this sickness inside of me.

While I was all about the Royals, I was not a fan of the Chiefs. I am not a fan of the Chiefs. I actually developed some sort of sick competition in my head between the two professional franchises. It makes no sense, I know, but it sits in my brain and won’t leave. For years, the Royals were getting their butts kicked in that competition. The Chiefs have been one of the best franchises in the NFL while the Royals – for a large part of my life – were at the bottom of MLB.

Of course, things leaned Royals in 2014 and 2015 when they improbably advanced to Game 7 of the World Series against the Giants and then clowned the Mets on their way to their first championship since 1985. I know some Chiefs fans really think they’ve been suffering for a long time, but try being one of the worst teams in the league for three decades.

I know, I know. There have been playoff catastrophes and heartbreaks, but the Royals didn’t even bother getting to playoffs. Or even getting close to the playoffs. There was never any hope with the Royals. There’s almost always been hope with the Chiefs. You don’t know long-suffering unless you’ve been to the K to watch guys like Jose Guillen, Angel Berroa, Aaron Guiel, Mendy Lopez, Chris Getz and the like fumble around. Anyway…

It’s not that surprising that the Chiefs would go to the Super Bowl. They have a strong owner that cares only about winning. They play in the NFL, where everybody is pretty much playing on an even field with a salary cap. They made an outstanding coaching hire in Andy Reid, and they’ve made smart/outstanding draft decisions and additional strong acquisitions. And yeah, they played the 4 and the 6 seed in the top-heavy AFC to get there.

But make no mistake, this is an outstanding team that deserves to play in the Super Bowl. I really wish we could have seen Baltimore/Kansas City in the AFC Championship, but I’m good with settling for KC/San Francisco in the Super Bowl. These are two outstanding football teams, and even though I would rather hammer nails through my feet than have to cheer for one of them, I will enjoy this one as a football fan. Go Royals.

Point 2: Speaking of the Royals….

The Kansas City Royals, which – by the way – had the bigger accomplishment in winning the 2015 World Series than the Chiefs would have by winning this year’s Super Bowl (smirk), are close to or have already agreed to a one-year deal with Alex Gordon.

Royals beat writer Jeffrey “Flanny” Flanagan tweeted yesterday: “Sources indicate the Royals and Alex Gordon are “getting close” on a one-year deal. Might be announced Tuesday or Wednesday after his physical.”

I laughed about those last three words because Alex Gordon taking a physical must be an absolute marvel, but I see this only as good news. Alex Gordon – the single greatest hero from that 2015 champion – can play for the Royals as long as he wants. He’s still elite defensively, and he had a pretty solid year at the plate in 2019.

There are some that don’t understand why the Royals would want to bring him back. They think that it will disrupt the rebuild. Now, I would agree with that notion if there was actually some sort of young outfielder that he was blocking, but I don’t think Bubba Starling, Brett Phillips or any other number of quad-A type outfielders are going to be a part of the future anyway. So, let’s see some more Gordo.

Point 3: My ongoing gag with the charge call in basketball continued

I charged up the Creston faithful on Friday with this tweet.

Now, if I had to do it all again, I probably would have left that last part off of there. I need to better understand that not everybody is familiar with my ongoing gag with the charge call in basketball. Basically, I hate charges*. I don’t hate the people taking them, and I don’t hate the people calling them. I hate the rule. I also think it’s misapplied quite often.

*I will note that I don’t mind when primary defenders beat their offensive player to a spot and then take it in the chest. Those charges are A-OK with me. I’m just not big on the slide-ins or slide-unders that make up for what is generally poor defense (not talking about this specific instance since it was sort of a frantic scenario).

Anyway, my final “….charge is not an acceptable answer” was simply an ode to that. I should have known it would lead to an emotional, visceral reaction from those that it personally impacted. There were some ugly moments involved, including the misapplication of your/you’re, but that’s going to happen. (I really think teachers should re-teach that, though. It’s a simple lesson, really.)

Either way, I apologize for the comment that raised the ire of the Creston folks. In the end, I was and am still impressed with the effort on both sides on that play. In other words, “both teams played hard.”

Point 4: McGregor/Cowboy

Boy, the UFC really could not have matched up a worse duo. Not when it comes to fighting. When it comes to being a solid, respectable human being.

McGregor has been investigated for two sexual assault allegations. Innocent until proven guilty, but he doesn’t exactly have a clean history. And then there’s Cowboy Donald Cerrone, who has dropped several homophobic slurs and rants in the past. While he did apologize after the first one, there was a recent sit down with Brendan Schaub where he continued that behavior.

So, who do you root for when two pretty bad humans get together in the octagon? I suppose you just hope it ends quickly. And fortunately it did.

Point 5: What are you doing for others?

As I was writing this, I thought I was starting to run out of ideas, points and other thoughts. Then I saw a tweet from Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln’s volleyball account. It’s a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. (it’s MLK Day, by the way) with one of his many great quotes: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question: What are you doing for others?”

The tweet also has a hashtag that I love: #BeKind. I can’t say I always lived up to this ideal, but I try to every single day. I think one of the most important things in this nation right now is to try and carry on those kinds of things. Care for one another, love one another and be kind to one another. We’re living in a contentious time. Let’s do our part to better that.

Point 6: Our schedule this week is going to WOW you

Look at this…

Tuesday: St. Albert at Glenwood boys on KMA 960, 7:30 PM (Trevor)

Wednesday: Corner Conference Girls Tournament at Stanton – Sidney vs. Fremont-Mills & East Mills vs. Stanton on FM 99.1, 6:00 PM (Brent)

Thursday: Corner Conference Boys Tournament at Malvern – Stanton vs. Sidney & Fremont-Mills vs. East Mills on FM 99.1, 6:00 PM (Me)

Friday:  Corner Conference Girls Consolation & Championship at Malvern on 960, 6:00 PM (Brent) & Martensdale-St. Marys at Mount Ayr girl/boy doubleheader on FM 99.1, 6:00 PM (Trevor)

Saturday: John J. Harris Wrestling Invitational on 960, 3:30 PM (Trevor & Steve Baier) and Corner Conference Boys Consolation & Championship at Griswold on 99.1, 6:00 PM (Derek)

Extra Point: Have a great week!

Enjoy the 21^st week of the calendar!

Send any questions, comments and/or concerns to dmartin@kmaland.com.

WARNER-DE KOCK SPAT

Warner is now one demerit point away from a ban. © Getty

David Warner has been hit with three demerit points and fined 75 per cent of his match fee after deciding to accept the ICC’s level two charges that came from his altercation with Quinton de Kock during the first Test in Durban, but South Africa have confirmed that their player will contest his charge.

CCTV footage from a stairwell leading up to the dressing rooms at Kingsmead showed Warner continuing to verbally abuse de Kock as South Africa and Australia broke for tea on the fourth day of the first Test, which Australia went on to win by 118 runs.

Australia maintain that Warner was provoked by personal comments that de Kock made about his wife, but the Australia batsman has accepted the charges brought against him by match referee Jeff Crowe and is now one demerit point away from a ban. Level 2 breaches carry a fine of 50 to 100 per cent of the match fee and/or up to two suspension points, equating to three or four demerit points.

Because Warner admitted the offence, there was no need for a hearing and his punishment was confirmed on Wednesday (March 7) morning. He joins South Africa captain Faf du Plessis and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada among the players in the series with demerit points against their name who could be banned in the event of a further infraction.

De Kock, meanwhile, has decided to contest his level one charge after South Africa sought clarity over the accusations laid against him. He will now undergo a hearing on Wednesday evening in Port Elizabeth, where the teams are preparing for Friday’s second Test.

The heaviest penalty that de Kock could receive for a level one offence is a fine, but South Africa feel that even this would be unfair given that video footage appears to be the only evidence used by the ICC.

Warner’s level two charge, which related to “bringing the game into disrepute”, is thought to have been handed down purely on the basis of the CCTV footage, with umpires Kumar Dharmasena and S Ravi not hearing any on-field exchange between the players.

Given that de Kock did not react to Warner at all in the footage, South Africa feel he has no case to answer.

“We are appealing level one because we think Quinny didn’t do anything,” coach Ottis Gibson said on Wednesday. “Quinny wasn’t aggressive. You saw some footage and the footage showed Quinny walking up the stairs and somebody else being restrained and then Quinny gets a level one. That doesn’t seem fair.”

A verdict on the wicketkeeper-batsman will be delivered immediately after his hearing, which will take place at the team hotel.

© Cricbuzz

RELATED STORIES

Online gamers have said in multiple Twitter posts that the shooting of a man Thursday night by Wichita police was the result of a “swatting” hoax involving two gamers.

RELATED STORIES: Family says son killed by police in ‘swatting’ was unarmed, didn’t play video games | Pivot Point: If shooter games lead to real-life death, it’s time to hit pause

Swatting happened when someone makes a call to a police department with a false story of an ongoing crime – often with killing or hostages involved – in an attempt to draw a large number of police officers to a particular address.

Swatting has gained traction across the country with online gamers. Those who try to cause the swatting incident will use caller ID spoofing or other techniques to disguise their number as being local. Or they call local non-emergency numbers instead of 911, according to 911.gov.

Deputy Wichita Police Chief Troy Livingston said Thursday night that police were looking into whether the call that led to the shooting was a case of swatting.

Livingston said the department received a call that someone had an argument with their mother, that the father had been shot in the head and the shooter was holding his mother, brother and sister hostage.

“That was the information we were working off of,” he said.

Officers went to the 1000 block of McCormick, preparing for a hostage situation and they “got into position,” he said.

“A male came to the front door,” Livingston said. “As he came to the front door, one of our officers discharged his weapon.”

Livingston didn’t say if the man, who was 28, had a weapon when he came to the door, or what caused the officer to shoot the man. Police don’t think the man fired at officers, but the incident is still under investigation, he said. The man, who has not been identified by police, died at a local hospital.

A family member identified that man who was shot by police as Andrew Finch. One of Finch’s cousins said Finch didn’t play video games.

“This call was little peculiar for us,” Livingston said. “(The call) went to a substation first, then it was relayed to dispatch, then dispatch gave it to us. We have a lot of information to go through.”

On Twitter, more than a dozen people who identified themselves as being in the gaming community told The Eagle that a feud between two Call of Duty players sparked one to initiate a “swatting” call.

After news began to spread about what happened Thursday night, the people in the gaming community, through Twitter posts, pointed at two gamers.

“I DIDNT GET ANYONE KILLED BECAUSE I DIDNT DISCHARGE A WEAPON AND BEING A SWAT MEMBER ISNT MY PROFESSION,” said one gamer, who others said made the swatting call. His account was suspended overnight.

According to posts on Twitter, two gamers were arguing when one threatened to target the other with a swatting call. The person who was the target of the swatting gave the other gamer a false address, which sent police to a nearby home instead of his own, according to Twitter posts.

The person who was to be the target of the swatting sent a Tweet saying, “Someone tried to swat me and got an innocent man killed.”

Livingston, the deputy police chief, would only provide the block number of the home where the shooting occurred, not the specific address. Police were seen in the front yards of two houses across from each other at the corner of Seneca and McCormick.

Dexerto, a online news service focused on gaming and the Call of Duty game, reported the argument began over a $1 or $2 wager over the game.

“Normally this is a prank, but due to the high stress situation, sometimes it is closer to a death threat from a user trying to get cops to kill them,” one man told The Eagle in an email.

The officer who fired the shot — a seven-year veteran of the police department — will be placed on administrative paid leave, which is department policy.

Police expect to release more information later Friday.