The following guidance for members of Appeal Committees at EBU events was agreed by the Laws & Ethics Committee.
From White Book (2023):
1.7 Appeals
1.7.1 Appeals under Law 92A
An appeal under Law 92A to an EBU Appeals Committee or Referee is subject to a deposit of £20 in pairs events and £30 in teams events.
Any such appeal, if deemed to lack merit, may be the subject of a sanction. This sanction will be both of:
- A score adjustment of the standard penalty (e.g. 25% of a top, 6 IMPs or 1 VP)
- Forfeiting the deposit.
The sanction is imposed at the Appeals Committee’s or Referee’s discretion and their decision is based upon whether they consider the appeal to have been without merit for the class of player involved. The test in the case of an experienced appellant would be if the committee came to a unanimous decision with little or no discussion; the less experienced the player, the more lenient the Committee would be. The appeal-without-merit sanction can still be imposed if the committee decreases the score for the appellants (or penalises, or increases the penalty for, the appellants).
An Appeals Committee or a Referee will seek any guidance required as to law or regulation from the DIC. It is within the discretion of the Committee to seek such other consultation as may be helpful; it is recommended for a Referee to do so, if convenient.
If any player wishes to have a copy of the appeals form it will be sent to them on request.
Blank copies of Appeals forms and Report of Hand forms are available on the EBU website at https://www.ebu.co.uk/laws-and-ethics/forms-tournament-directors.
1.7.2 Appeals to the National Authority
These are settled by the L&EC and must be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the Committee, enclosing a deposit of £75.
An appeal to the Regulating Authority (Law 93C) from an EBU event is an appeal to the National Authority. Other Regulating Authorities within the EBU (clubs and counties) may make other arrangements: including an appeal to a committee of the club/county.
No appeal to the National Authority will be allowed if there was not a request for an appeal against the TD’s ruling under Law 92A.
Appeals to the National Authority should be submitted promptly. There is no specific time limit of general application, although a deadline may be imposed in a particular case. If the L&EC decides that an appeal has not been submitted within a reasonable time, it will be dismissed and the deposit returned.
An appeal to the National Authority is heard on its merits, and the deposit normally returned, only if the L&EC considers the appeal to involve one or more of the following:
(a) A question of principle
(b) An error of tournament direction
(c) An error in the application of law or regulation
(d) A grossly inappropriate value judgement
If none of these factors is present, the appeal will be dismissed and the deposit forfeited. Note that a request to revise a value judgement which falls short of being grossly inappropriate is not a sound basis for an appeal to the National Authority.
If one of the specified factors is found to be present, the L&EC will consider the matter afresh in the light of the submissions made, and it may revise a value judgement even if it does not consider it to have been grossly inappropriate.
Appeals to the National Authority are almost always dealt with by correspondence. Only in exceptional circumstances will the L&EC allow a personal attendance by a party to the appeal.
The outcome of an appeal to the National Authority, or some other intervention by the L&EC, will affect the result of a match in a knock-out competition only if the decision is made in time for the result to be included in the draw for the next round without undue disruption to the progress of the competition. The same principle applies, with any necessary modifications, to any competition which involves qualification for a subsequent round or stage of the competition.
1.7.3 Appeals Advisors
At large tournaments Appeals Advisors are appointed. They provide a service to offer friendly advice to potential appellants on whether and how to appeal.
When a player wishes to appeal it is often sensible that they talk to an Appeals Advisor first. The Appeals Advisor may warn them that their appeal is likely to be deemed without merit, or can advise on how to present their appeal. Generally, if a player says they will appeal, or seems generally unhappy with a ruling, the TD should remind the player of the possibility of talking to an Appeals Advisor, and offer to find one for them. This is especially important with less experienced players.
Appeals Advisors are usually taken from the group of EBU Referees and Appeals Chairmen, though any good, experienced and sympathetic player will do. Even at events where no Appeals Advisor is appointed the TD might offer to find someone to act as one.
The Appeals Advisor only hears one side of a story; thus their advice should never be known to the Appeals Committee. For example they may say that an appeal is definitely not without merit, but then the Appeals Committee having heard from everyone impose the appeal-without-merit sanction. This does not imply a mistake by the Appeals Advisor: the story they heard may have been very different. Furthermore, the player is under no obligation to follow any advice given to them by an Appeals Advisor, and whether to appeal is solely a matter for them.
1.7.4 Taking deposits
A deposit should be taken before an appeal is heard. Only in exceptional circumstances is it suitable for an appeal to be heard without a deposit, and in such a case the DIC must write on the form the reason for not taking a deposit. Deposits are taken in the normal way for appeals to the DIC over a matter of Law, appeals against Procedural or Disciplinary Penalties, telephone appeals to a Referee, appeals dealt with in writing and so forth.