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Grimsby Town Fined £20,000 for Fielding Ineligible Player Against Manchester United in Carabao Cup

Grimsby Town Fined £20,000 for Fielding Ineligible Player Against Manchester United in Carabao Cup

Published

6 months ago

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Grimsby Town’s fairy-tale victory over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup has been marred by controversy, as the English Football League (EFL) confirmed the club breached competition rules by fielding an ineligible player during the second-round tie.


The League Two side, who stunned United with a dramatic 12–11 penalty shootout win at Blundell Park after a 2–2 draw in regular time, have been fined £20,000 by the EFL. Half of the fine—£10,000—has been suspended until the end of the 2025/26 season.


The breach centers around the registration of midfielder Clarke Oduor, whose paperwork was submitted at 12:01pm the day before the match—just one minute past the official deadline of 12:00pm as stipulated in the Carabao Cup rules. The club self-reported the error after discovering the oversight following the match.

What the Carabao Cup Rules Say

Under Carabao Cup regulations, all players must be properly registered by the deadline set ahead of each fixture. Failure to comply can result in:

  • Expulsion from the competition
  • Match forfeiture
  • Financial penalties

In this case, the EFL Board, acting as the Management Committee of the Carabao Cup, opted for a financial sanction rather than overturning the result, citing Grimsby’s transparency and lack of intent to deceive.

“The Board further noted the Club’s non-compliance was not deliberate,” the EFL stated, adding that Grimsby has since taken steps to prevent similar errors in the future.

Despite the administrative misstep, Grimsby will retain their place in the next round of the competition. However, the club remains under scrutiny, with the suspended portion of the fine set to be activated if another breach occurs before the end of the season.

The incident serves as a cautionary tale for clubs across the league, highlighting the importance of strict adherence to registration protocols—even down to the minute.

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Football

Emirates FA Cup fifth round draw Results

The Emirates FA Cup fifth round draw has been made for the 2025-26 season, with the eight ties to be scheduled for the weekend of 7-8 March 2026.

Published

5 days ago

on

February 16, 2026

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FA Cup

The Emirates FA Cup fifth round draw has been made for the 2025-26 season, with the eight ties to be scheduled for the weekend of 7-8 March 2026.

Taking place ahead of Monday evening’s tie between Macclesfield and Brentford, the draw was made by Joe Cole and Karen Carney as clubs look to seal a place in the quarter-final.

Winning clubs in the fifth round will receive £238,500 from the competition prize fund for the 2025-26 season.

The final schedule for the fifth round will be confirmed in due course, following talks with clubs, broadcast partners and local authorities.

The final schedule for the fifth round will be confirmed in due course, following talks with clubs, broadcast partners and local authorities.

The Draw

1 Fulham v Southampton
2 Port Vale or Bristol City v Sunderland
3 Newcastle United v Manchester City
4 Leeds United v Norwich City
5 Mansfield Town v Arsenal
6 Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool
7 Wrexham v Chelsea
8 West Ham United v Macclesfield or Brentford

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Football

Arsenal Beat Chelsea to Reach Carabao Cup Final

Arsenal secured their place in the Carabao Cup final after defeating Chelsea 1–0 in the second leg of the semi-final at the Emirates Stadium. The victory sealed a 4–2 aggregate win for the Gunners, booking their first domestic cup final appearance since 2020.

Published

3 weeks ago

on

February 3, 2026

By

Kai Havertz

Arsenal secured their place in the Carabao Cup final after defeating Chelsea 1–0 in the second leg of the semi-final at the Emirates Stadium. The victory sealed a 4–2 aggregate win for the Gunners, booking their first domestic cup final appearance since 2020.

The reigning Premier League leaders will face either Manchester City or Newcastle United in the final, scheduled for March 22, 2026, at Wembley Stadium.

Arsenal’s disciplined performance ensured they held off Chelsea’s late pressure, with the decisive goal in the 97th minute by Kai Havertz proving enough to send Mikel Arteta’s side through to a much-anticipated showdown at Wembley.

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Football

Nakamba Signs with Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday, a Championship (English second-tier) club, has signed Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba on a deal until the end of the season after he was released by League One (English third tier) side Luton Town FC.

Published

3 weeks ago

on

February 2, 2026

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Sheffield Wednesday, a Championship (English second-tier) club, has signed Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba on a deal until the end of the season after he was released by League One (English third tier) side Luton Town FC.

The club confirmed the latest development on their social media platforms.

Sheffield Wednesday are currently at the bottom of the table (24th place) with –7 points after 29 matches.

The Sky Bet Championship club was last year deducted 12 points for multiple breaches of EFL regulations relating to the payment of players.

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