The EFL have made the following statement relating to MK Dons’ Carabao Cup Round Three tie with Liverpool…
The EFL Board has today fined Liverpool FC £200,000 - of which £100,000 will be suspended until the end of Season 2020/21 - for having breached the Rules of the Carabao Cup by fielding an ineligible player against Milton Keynes Dons in a Carabao Cup match on 25 September.
The circumstances leading to this breach are that Liverpool FC had not received international clearance for their existing contracted registered player, Pedro Chirivella Burgos, on expiry of his loan agreement last Season with Spanish club Extremadura Union Deportiva.
Following a comprehensive review of all the evidence, the Board determined that it wasn’t appropriate to expel the Club from the Competition because of a number of mitigating factors.
In particular, the Board noted that the Club had sought the assistance of the Football Association in securing the return of the International Clearance prior to the start of this season, and the Club had been able to include the player in both the Club’s squad list (under Premier League Rules) and on team sheets for Premier League Two matches and one Leasing.com Trophy match, which resulted in the breach not being identified until the Club reported the issue to the EFL and Premier League following the MK Dons match.
As a result, the Club has also been found guilty of misconduct in relation to the same breach for having fielded the player in the defeat against Oldham Athletic in the Leasing.com Trophy on 7 August, with the sanction incorporated into the financial penalty.
The Club will be liable for the suspended sum of £100,000, plus an additional sanction, if they were to again field an ineligible player in the Carabao Cup between now and the end of next season.
An EFL Spokesman said: “The rules of the Carabao Cup require Clubs to ensure all players are registered and eligible in line with their respective League’s rules before they play.
“The player was always contracted to Liverpool FC during this period, and the reason he was not eligible was because the Club did not have the relevant international clearance following expiry of an earlier loan agreement.
The Club’s breach was in part due to the challenges it encountered with securing the correct international clearance, and its subsequent ability to include the Player on a Squad List despite the lack of clearance.
“As a result the Board concluded the most appropriate sanction was a financial penalty.”
