Grimsby Town have been punished by The English Football League (EFL) for fielding an ineligible player in their EFL Cup Round Two win over Manchester United. The Mariners hosted the Red Devils at Blundell Park on August 27.
The League Two side took the lead in the 22nd minute through a Charles Vernam strike, before going 2-0 ahead eight minutes later via Tyrell Warren’s goal. United rallied back through Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire, before losing 12-11 on penalties and exiting the tournament.
Interestingly, Clarke Oduor’s involvement in the tie has now come under scrutiny. The Kenyan midfielder, who joined Grimsby on loan from Bradford City this summer, entered the pitch in the 73rd minute in place of George McEachran.
However, it now appears that the 26-year-old was ineligible for the game, as he hadn’t been registered in time. Interestingly, Oduor was the only Mariners player to miss a penalty in the marathon shootout.
Grimsby were a minute late in registration
Grimsby had to register Oduor by 12 PM on the day of the fixture for him to be eligible for selection. However, it later emerged that the documents were submitted a minute after the deadline.
The EFL, though, believe that the incident is not serious enough to warrant an instant elimination from the tournament. Instead, the North East Lincolnshire club have been handed a £20,000 fine, half of which remains suspended for the rest of the season.
Should Grimsby repeat the offense this campaign, the rest of the fine will come into effect.
The EFL also released a statement confirming that Grimsby reported the non-conformity immediately after the game. The statement read:
“The Board further noted the Club’s non-compliance was not deliberate with no intention to deceive or mislead.”
Grimsby have provided an explanation for the error
Grimsby have issued a statement following the decision, insisting that the mix up was due to a clerical error. They said:
“We accept the fine imposed and fully recognise the importance of adhering to competition rules and regulations. This mistake was not deliberate, and the Club acted transparently by self-reporting the breach as soon as it came to light.”
“Since this incident, we have undertaken a thorough review of our processes and implemented strengthened measures to ensure it cannot happen again.”
United have done the right thing by choosing not to pursue anything further with regards to the case. But what if United had committed the same error? The media would be baying for their ban. Funny, how things work!
Feature image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.
