Southampton Rangers have been booted out of the FA Cup for the second time this season after an arbitration ruling went against them yesterday.

An arbitrator reversed the Bermuda Football Association appeal committee’s decision to schedule a replay between Rangers and their First Division rivals St David’s during a nearly two-hour-long hearing and awarded the controversial cup tie to the East Enders.

“We are satisfied with the result, but we still have to question the appeal committee and how they could even come to that judgment that it should have been a replay,” said St David’s player Otis Minors, who also serves on the club’s management committee. “It’s an open-and-shut case for me and should have never went this far.”

Rangers beat St David’s 4-2 in the January 19 tie at Lord’s but were forced to forfeit the win after it emerged second-half substitute Najiyah Raynor was not listed on their teamsheet.

Rangers appealed against the BFA competitions committee’s ruling, which was upheld by the association’s appeal committee upon further scrutiny.

As a result of the appeal committee’s decision, the competitions committee scheduled a replay.

However, St David’s refused to play in protest against the BFA’s decision to allow their opponents back into the competition and took their case to the Alternate Dispute Resolution arbitration panel, at the sports ministry.

St David’s were successful in their bid to have the BFA appeal committee’s ruling reversed but were ordered by the arbitrator to pay a $250 fine for submitting their teamsheet in late.

Commenting on the outcome of the hearing, Greg Steede, the assistant sports chairman at Southampton Rangers, said: “It boiled down to the rules are the rules, which I think was fair judgment with what they came up with.”

Lawyer Jeffrey Elkinson was the arbitrator who presided over the hearing.

St David’s were represented by Stephen Tucker, the club secretary, Aaron Lugo and Dean Smith, while Chanjiv Simmons, the club vice-president, player Darius Cox and Steede attended on Rangers’ behalf.

The BFA were represented by president Mark Wade and Zane Stowe, who was the match commissioner on duty during the cup tie last month.

St David’s will now meet Premier Division side BAA in the quarter-finals.

“Nobody wants to win a game on a technicality like we did, but the rules are the rules,” Minors said.

“Now we are just looking to put our best foot forward against BAA and whatever happens, happens.”