Exeter City have been fined by the EFL in relation to a breach of the EFL’s regulation.
The incident relates to the club naming an ineligible player on their team sheet for a League One match earlier on in the season.
This is not the first time this season where a situation like this has happened, with Barnsley fielding an ineligible player in their FA Cup replay with Horsham which would see them thrown out of the FA Cup, with Horsham going into the second round.
Forest Green Rovers also found themselves in trouble with the FA, for also naming an ineligible player in their matchday squad for their FA Cup tie with Scarborough Athletic. However as the player in question did not come on, a replay was played rather than the club being dealt the same fate as Barnsley.
Exeter find themselves in the same position as that of Forest Green, with the player in question, Jack Fitzwater, not coming onto the pitch for their clash with Leyton Orient in September. Fitzwater was not named on the club’s squad list and as a result, Exeter have today been fined by the EFL.
The Grecians currently find themselves just outside of the relegation zone in 20th. Having at one point been on a 13-match winless run, the club have seen improvements in recent weeks. They’ve picked up six points from their last five games, including wins against fellow relegation-threatened side Carlisle United as well as Wycombe Wanderers.
Fortunately for Exeter they will not be docked any points for the incident but will receive a £5,000 fine. Now sat three points clear of the relegation places, every point really does matter for them.
A statement on the club’s official website reads:
The breach relates to the naming of an ineligible player (Jack Fitzwater) on the team sheet in the Sky Bet League One fixture against Leyton Orient on 9 September 2023 when the player was not named on the club’s squad list.
The club therefore committed misconduct through failing to comply with the requirements of Regulation 44.8 and will be fined £5,000 (£2,500 suspended) in relation to the breach.
Although this incident stemmed from an administrative oversight, this is a matter which we have taken very seriously and as a result we have reviewed our procedures to avoid any recurrence.
Writer’s View
Being the third separate incident this season, you would think EFL clubs would start to focus on registering their player correctly. That being said, the incident does date back to September and has been under review for a while.
Although £5000 may not be a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, it’s still a dent in the club’s finances and one which could’ve definitely been avoided.
Senior Editor
