Play-Offs have been around only for the last few years and it is only in the last 2-3 years that clubs have been using this loophole of dropping players down and then brining them up to get around of this reg.
The �regarding� is a regulation and regulations can at ANY time be amended by the manager, such amendments stay in force until changed by a remit at an AGM.
It is the �rules that can only, with the backing of NZF be allted at the AGM.
Therefore CF could have just allted the regulation, informed both clubs prior the match and this situation would never have arisen.
If I was still at CF, I would have given the same ruling i.e. the player could play, however I would not have informed Naenae.
I, Sole and Keith were consistent in our interpretation of the reg for the past 15 years, that �regarding�only applied to players going down�.
The word�down�was never in the regulation but was on a form that clubs use to submit to CF prior to the match, this form was done away with at the request of the clubs.
I would assume there would have been a lot correspondence from both clubs on this matter between ,CF, Olympic and Naenae, so why did CF not rework the regulation and word it in such a way to either allow the player to play or stop the player from playing.
To me that a question that need be addressed to CF.