Man Utd discover Carabao Cup fate as Grimsby punished for EFL rule breach

Manchester United will not be reinstated into the Carabao Cup after Grimsby were punished for fielding an ineligible player during their second-round clash last week. The Red Devils were dumped out of the competition by their League Two opponents after the tie was settled by a penalty shootout.

United arrived at Blundell Park as the overwhelming favourites to progress to the Carabao Cup third round and named a star-studded starting line-up, with the likes of Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Mauel Ugarte featuring from the outset. But the 13-time Premier League champions went 2-0 down half an hour into the clash as the home side sensed an upset. Substitute Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire netted second-half goals to force penalties. And, remarkably, Grimsby came out on top as they won the shootout 12-11 after Mbeumo missed the final spot kick.

Grimsby registered Clarke Oduor at 12.01pm the day before the encounter after signing him on loan from Bradford.

But the deadline for the player's registration was midday, meaning the League Two club fell foul of the EFL regulations.

However, Grimsby have been allowed to remain in the competition and have been handed a financial penalty instead of being expelled. The club, who self-reported, have been fined £20,000, with £10,000 suspended.

An EFL statement read: "The EFL Board, acting as the management committee of the Carabao Cup, has today fined Grimsby Town Football Club £20,000 - of which £10,000 will be suspended until the end of Season 2025/26 - for having breached the rules of the competition.

"The breach relates to the club fielding an ineligible player against Manchester United in a round two tie on 27 August 2025. Grimsby Town progressed to round three following a 12-11 penalty shoot-out win at Blundell Park.

"The circumstances leading to this transgression are that Grimsby Town submitted the registration of Clarke Oduor at 12:01pm on the day before the fixture i.e. shortly after the 12:00pm deadline required in accordance with the 2025/26 competition rules.

"The club self-reported the breach upon discovery the day after the fixture had been completed.

"Following a comprehensive review of all the evidence and considering prior decisions taken in respect of offences in the League Cup, the board determined that the issuing of a fine followed precedent.

"The board further noted the club's non-compliance was not deliberate with no intention to deceive or mislead. 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."

United missed out on a trip to Sheffield Wednesday in the third round after losing to Grimsby, with David Artell's team set to travel to Hillsborough instead later this month.

The competition offered Ruben Amorim his first opportunity to land a trophy for United, with his team now realistically relying on FA Cup glory this season if they want to win any silverware as they are unlikely to be in the race to win the Premier League title.

United last won the Carabao Cup in the 2022/23 season under Erik ten Hag, with the Dutchman then leading the north west giants to FA Cup success the following campaign before being sacked six months later. And Amorim now faces an uphill battle to get his hands on his first trophy as United boss.

"I know that the best team won, the only team that was on the pitch [won]," admitted a dejected Amorim after his side's shock defeat. "One team can win against any group of players.

"I think that the team and the players spoke really loud today so that's it. We lost and the best team won.

"I think it's really clear what they spoke. So let's move on from this day and I think it was really clear for everybody what happened today."