It has been a remarkable few weeks for Grimsby Town, first toppling Manchester United in the League Cup and, now, continuing to make headlines for fielding an ineligible player in that historic victory.
The EFL League Two side enjoyed one of the greatest nights in their history, as they stunned the Premier League giants, eventually triumphing 12-11 on penalties after taking a 2-0 lead earlier in the game. However, a registration error involving Clarke Oduor landed the Mariners in hot water.
On Tuesday morning, it was confirmed that the EFL had fined Grimsby £20,000 for fielding Oduor during that tie – although he was the only Grimsby player to miss his penalty – as the loanee had not been registered in time with the Mariners admitting their clerical error.
They must now pay £10,000, with the remaining £10,000 suspended until the end of the season, with MEN Sport also under the impression that no replay or expulsion from the tournament is being considered. Instead of being expelled from the competition, Grimsby have been fined and will be allowed to compete in the third round with Sheffield Wednesday next up following their memorable win over United.
Here, we take a closer look at the latest news and fallout surrounding Grimsby;
In a statement, the EFL confirmed that Grimsby self-reported their own error – as they then outlined a punishment for the League Two side. However, the decision has not been universally well received.
The EFL said in a statement: “The club has since implemented several actions to prevent a similar occurrence in the future. The club will be liable for the suspended sum of £10,000, if they were to again field an ineligible player in any league competition between now and the end of Season 2025/26.”
The EFL have since confirmed that Grimsby will face Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup third round on Tuesday, September 16, ending United’s hopes of a potential reprieve.
After Grimsby were handed their fine by the EFL, the club said in a statement: “Grimsby Town Football Club acknowledges today’s decision by the EFL regarding an error in the registration of Clarke Oduor ahead of our Carabao Cup Round Two fixture against Manchester United…” as it continued.
The registration of Oduor was submitted to the EFL at one minute past the deadline, and that issue was not immediately identified by the club, due to a computer problem being experienced at Grimsby.
“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 that breach as soon as it came to light.
“Since the incident, we have now undertaken a thorough review of our processes and implemented strengthened measures to ensure it cannot happen again.
“We thank the EFL [Football League] board for recognising our co-operation and intent, and we remain fully committed to maintaining the highest professional and regulatory standards. The club won’t make any further comment on the matter and now looks forward to focusing on preparations for our upcoming fixtures.”
Read more here.
Grimsby boss David Artell reckons nobody can take away his players’ performance after their astonishing Carabao Cup victory over United. Controversy has surrounded the Mariners over the last week, with the EFL having handed Town a fine for fielding an ineligible player in their miraculous second-round victory.
United are not thought to be preparing an appeal against the League Two side’s punishment, which resulted in a £20,000 fine for their clerical error. It is understood that the Mariners self-reported the infraction – and the EFL announced their decision – despite previous precedent in the FA Cup seeing teams thrown out of the competition.
“The club has made a statement and I refer them to the statement,” stated Artell. “From my point of view as head coach, no one can take away that performance. Nobody can. We were the better team for 70 minutes or for 75 minutes. We should have been 3-0 regardless of everything else that has gone off since, and I am extremely proud of the performance of the players, all of the players. I thought we deserved to win the game.
“What happens surrounding that isn’t in my domain [to say] but, like I say, nobody can take away the performance of the players and the manner of the victory, certainly not in my eyes anyway.
“What happened was unfortunate, we owned up, made a statement, let everyone know and we move on.”
Read more here.
Ex-Premier League striker Darren Bent was among those calling for Grimsby to be expelled from the competition, arguing that if Oduor played any part in stopping United’s progress, the club should face punishment. He said: “You have to question Grimsby’s place in the competition.”
Meanwhile, Jason Cundy has taken a similar stance, stressing that rules must be followed, but arguing that United should not receive a reprieve while Sheffield Wednesday is granted automatic passage to the next round.
“First off, if you break the rules like that I don’t see how Grimsby can be in the competition, I genuinely don’t,” he said. “It sounds harsh, but if that had happened the other way round, would we say; ‘Nah its fine, £20,000 fine for Man Utd’. Are we now judging it by the club?
“They broke the rules, I’m sorry, you have to leave the competition.
“I don’t think Man Utd should get in either by the way. They got knocked out. What should happen now, whoever they’re facing, they should get a bye. Grimsby should not be in the competition, if there’s a law it should be the same for everyone. Sorry this sounds very harsh, but there’s laws and rules for a reason, and if you break those the punishment has to be. We’ve just seen what happened with Crystal Palace [in the Europa League].”
Read more on Manchester Evening News
