An order to temporarily stop something, especially giving information.

That’s the dictionary definition of the word “embargo”.

I just thought it needed spelling out, though maybe you’re the wrong audience.

I should really be posting it to Crawley Town.

It seems their understanding of what an embargo means is a bit on the fuzzy side.

Actually they don’t comprehend it at all. Or more likely, aren’t the slightest bothered.

Let me explain what happened on Tuesday after both clubs met their punishment at Wembley.

The hearing finished at 12.15pm and David Baldwin, City’s board representative down there, rang me from the car half an hour later.

Having spelled out the details, he asked that I could sit on the news. He had spoken to Crawley chief executive Alan Williams afterwards and they had come to a gentleman’s agreement that the story would not be released straightaway.

Emphasis, here, on the word “gentleman”. Perhaps that’s another definition that some need checking… Pablo Mills faced a separate hearing that afternoon and Crawley wanted to wait.

Baldwin was happy to do so and then suggested to hang on for 7am the following day. Both sides agreed to do so.

Imagine, then, the universal surprise that greeted Crawley’s public announcement at teatime that they had been fined. All the details were on the club website.

Now maybe their internet clock was a little fast; But 14 hours?

Sky inevitably picked up on it quickly. The famous Sky sources, as is their wont, were soon proclaiming Crawley’s penalty and quickly followed with City’s.

The rest of us, those who play by the rules, had to hurry the news out mid-evening. But the horse had bolted.

Crawley won’t care in the slightest but it’s a story I could have run that lunchtime. I stuck by the embargo, shame about others.

Money can buy many things. Class clearly isn’t one of them.