IF ever an example was needed of the Football Association’s ever decreasing authority, Hereford United are providing it.

Here we have a club whose former majority shareholder, Tommy Agombar, failed the governing body’s owners’ and directors’ test and banned from being involved with the Southern League Premier Division outfit.

Yet, Agombar has maintained a very public presence at Edgar Street ever since, to the extent he has even taken part in an impromptu pre-match penalty competition at the ground.

While that may not constitute being involved with the club, taking spot kicks against the first-team goalkeeper is certainly not a luxury afforded to the average paying punter.

Nor is being photographed talking to manager Jon Taylor and the players to the extent claims have emerged, and been refuted, that Agombar picks the team.

Nothing is preventing the businessman from attending matches, along with any other paying customer, particularly given that his son made his debut for United against Biggleswade Town last weekend.

But he has hardly kept a low profile since the FA issued their summer edict.

If Hereford are trying to make it look as though he’s not involved, they’re not doing a very good job.

The FA say they “continue to monitor” the situation but if they want to be taken seriously, they need to be taking a tougher stance. That means keeping a tighter rein on those who fail the owners’ and directors’ test at all levels of the game.

Managers are barred from the ground under stadium bans, why can’t the same apply here? It would certainly be a start.

Otherwise, why hold the test up as so important and make people take it in the first place?

At the moment, it doesn’t look like as if it’s worth the paper it’s written on.