The most hated club in Non-League Football booted out of the League
AC London – the club formed in the wake of the 2011 London riots to keep youngsters off the streets – have been booted out of the Cherry Red Combined Counties League.
The decision to blow the whistle on the club came after the conclusion of the FA appeal hearing into the decision by fellow league clubs to expel AC London last summer, partially because of their high number of red cards.
The club had been given dispensation to start the new season while the appeal process was underway.
But following an emergency board meeting on Tuesday, the league’s board of directors issued a statement which read: “The FA formally contacted the Combined Counties League with the verdict of the appeal hearing conducted following the decision by member clubs to remove AC London from the competition.
“It has taken until now to reach this decision as submissions were made at the initial appeal hearing that the FA have thoroughly investigated. They have found these submissions to be completely false and written evidence to have been fabricated.
“The FA have now placed severe sanctions against the perpetrator of these false submissions and the appeal has been concluded.
“The FA has rejected the AC London appeal and found that the Combined Counties League acted fully in line with the procedures laid down and the decision was constitutional.
“The FA appeal board directed that AC London should continue in membership of the competition whilst the investigations took place. Now that these have concluded the FA have directed the league to enforce the decision and AC London will be removed from the competition with immediate effect.”
Academic Club London were founded by 16-year-old Prince Choudary as a youth team in July 2012, and went open age the following season. Choudary, whose uncle’s shop was hit in the riots, then became the youngest manager and chairman in senior football, and later the youngest manager in the FA Cup.
AC London joined the Kent Invicta League and later moved sideways to Combined Counties One after many, many issues. But at the league’s extraordinary general meeting in June, vote was taken that the organisation and management of the club had fallen “below the standards appropriate to membership of the competition.”
The team’s disciplinary record on the pitch came under fire, with 14 red cards having been shown before last Christmas. Also, AC London, who groundshare at Whyteleafe, failed to fulfil two fixtures at the end of the season and it was claimed that there had been constant administrative problems.
It was understood that their playing record in Division One will now be expunged.
Not many people will shed a tear about the removal of them from the League. They have continually upset most teams they have come into contact with and there are numerous stories around of their awful antics both on and off the field.