Mirror Football takes a look at rare instances in the past where replays have been ordered as Manchester United receive their Grimsby Town verdict after a controversial Carabao Cup defeat
Clarke Oduor missed a penalty in the shootout
Grimsby Town will not have to replay Manchester United after fielding ineligible player Clarke Oduor
(Image: Getty)
One of the biggest nights in Grimsby Town’s history was plunged into doubt after they fielded an ineligible player. Grimsby took on Premier League giants Manchester United at home in the Carabao Cup second round last month.
To the astonishment of all watching, the Mariners secured a 12-11 win on penalties over Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils, having lost their 2-0 lead late in the second half. A pitch invasion and scenes of utter delight ensued - but the League Two side later admitted a huge blunder in playing Clarke Oduor, a new signing who had not been registered in time.
Grimsby reported their own mistake, saying it had been an administrative error. Despite Oduor actually missing his penalty in the shootout, there were calls for the minnows to be expelled from the tournament, or for a replay to at least take place.
However, neither of those will be considered, with the club instead being fined £20,000 by the EFL. They may consider themselves lucky, as we now take a look at rare instances in the past where matches have in fact been replayed in controversial circumstances.
Charlton Athletic vs Doncaster Rovers
In August 2013, Charlton’s clash with Doncaster at The Valley was controversially called off at half-time because of a waterlogged pitch, despite Rovers leading 3-1. The heavy rainfall made conditions tough from kick-off and referee Lee Collins initially suspended play after 26 minutes.
They did resume but Collins then deemed the conditions unsafe at the break, with Doncaster boss Paul Dickov calling the manner in which the game was abandoned “shambolic.” To add further insult to injury, the rematch in November began with the score at 0-0, with Charlton going on to win that game 2-0, much to the annoyance of Dickov as his side slipped to 20th in the table.
Bradley Pritchard of Charlton Athletic breaks away from David Cotterill of Doncaster Rovers during the Sky Bet Championship match between Charlton Athletic and Doncaster Rovers at The Valley on August 24, 2013 in London, England
Charlton Athletic vs Doncaster Rovers had to be replayed at The Valley due to a waterlogged pitch
Arsenal vs Sheffield United
In February 1999, Sheffield United took on Arsenal in the fifth round of the FA Cup at Highbury and, with the game poised at 1-1 following Patrick Vieira’s goal and Marcelo’s equaliser for the Blades, the game descended into chaos. United goalkeeper Alan Kelly kicked the ball out of play for a throw-in to allow injured team-mate Lee Morris to receive treatment.
The away side thought Arsenal would return the ball to them following the restart, which is what Ray Parlour intended to do, but debutant Nwankwo Kanu had other plans. The Nigerian striker intercepted the pass back to the Blades and set up Marc Overmars to take the lead.
It sparked outrage among Steve Bruce’s side, who ordered his players to walk off the pitch in protest. The Gunners saw out a win but the injustice raged on and manager Arsene Wenger offered United a rematch, which they accepted. Arsenal won the repeated fixture courtesy of goals from Overmars and Dennis Bergkamp.
Steve Bruce complains over Marc Overmars' goal against Sheffield United
Steve Bruce complains over Marc Overmars' goal against Sheffield United
Senegal vs South Africa
On November 10, 2017, Senegal became the third African nation to qualify for the 2018 World Cup by beating South Africa 2-0, eliminating Bafana Bafana. The game, however, was merely a replay of the original November 2016 fixture that had been won 2-1 by South Africa.
That result was later chalked off by FIFA after Ghana referee Joseph Lamptey was found guilty of manipulating the result. Lamptey had awarded a penalty for a non-existent handball against Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly, with replays showing that the ball had actually struck his knee.
South Africa scored the penalty and went on to win the qualifier - their only win in the final round of qualifiers at that point. FIFA found Lamptey guilty of breaching the rule relating to “unlawfully influencing match results.”
Senegal's players celebrate after winning the FIFA 2018 World Cup Africa Group D qualifying football match between South Africa and Senegal at The Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polkowane on November 10, 2017.
Senegal won their replayed match after losing the first fixture
The governing body also concluded that Lamptey was at fault for South Africa's second goal just two minutes later, stating that the Ghanaian "clearly took two wrong decisions, which led to two goals being scored by South Africa."
They added: "He [took] intentional decisions with the sole purpose of facilitating a minimum number of goals to make certain bets successful." He was banned for life as a result.
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.