West Ham were once ordered to replay a League Cup match due to fielding an ineligible player – unlike Grimsby Town, who have kept their place in the competition. The Mariners famously triumphed over Manchester United 12-11 in a penalty shootout last month after a 2-2 draw against Ruben Amorim's side.
Subsequently, it was revealed that Clarke Oduor, who entered the game as a 73rd-minute substitute and missed a penalty in the shootout, was not eligible for the second round tie. A loan signing from Bradford City, the Kenyan's registration was submitted at 12.01pm on the day prior to the match, just after the 12pm deadline. The League Two club have been slapped with a £20,000 fine, half of it suspended until the end of the season. Grimsby self-reported the violation once they uncovered the mistake the day following the match.
This error has sparked demands for the match to be replayed or for Grimsby to be ejected from the competition. However, the EFL stated that the fine was levied following precedent after reviewing the evidence and considering previous decisions regarding offences in the competition.
Recent instances of teams fielding ineligible players have indeed resulted in fines rather than expulsions or replays. However, this was not the case in 1999 when the Hammers were told to replay their quarter-final against Aston Villa after Emmanuel Omoyinmi, who was cup-tied, was brought off the bench in the final stages before the tie went to penalties.
Omoyinmi had participated in both legs of Gillingham's second round match against Bolton Wanderers, making him ineligible to play for another club in that season's competition. West Ham's penalty shootout victory was declared null and void, with Villa triumphing in the replayed match after extra time.
The situation surrounding Grimsby's mistake is quite different. The Mariners, who are set to face Sheffield Wednesday in the third round, issued a statement acknowledging the penalty, attributing the delay in meeting the deadline to a computer glitch.
"We accept the fine imposed and fully recognise the importance of adhering to competition rules and regulations," the club said. "This mistake was not deliberate, and the club acted transparently by self-reporting the breach as soon as it came to light."
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Meanwhile, Grimsby boss David Artell believes it is time to move on. He said: "What happens surrounding that isn't in my domain but 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."
United, who have not appealed to be reinstated, have not publicly commented on the issue.