On the 20th December, an FA panel decided to remove Bury FC from this years FA Cup. The crime Fielding a player who was on loan to the club in a replay against Chester City which Bury won 3-1. Hartlepool United, the club to which the player is contracted, had verbally agreed that he could play, but an administrative error meant that the supporting paperwork was not faxed to the FA. Once Bury FC became aware of this, they admitted the error to the FA. There is a good chance that if they had not brought this to the FA's attention, the error would have gone unnoticed. This kind of thing has happened before. Earlier this month, Leeds United were fined £2000 by the Football League for including six loan players in their match day squad, a clear breach of the rules. Their mitigating circumstances A permanent player had been a late withdrawal through injury. In 1999 West Ham fielded an ineligible player in their Worthington Cup quarter final against Aston Villa. Emmanuel Omoyinmi had previously played in both legs of the second round for Gillingham. Their punishment from the Football League The match had to be replayed. What's the difference between these two clubs and Bury FC Size. Who cares about the small clubs Certainly not the FA. The income generated from a cup run can be the difference between success and extinction for a club of Bury's size. If this 'crime' had been committed by Chelsea or Manchester United, would the FA have expelled them from this season's cup I seriously doubt it. Please sign this petition to show your support for Bury FC's appeal against this ludicrous decision on the 28th December. Merry Christmas.