Barnsley removed from the FA Cup after fielding an ineligible player

The third-division team said an “administrative error” was to blame for fielding the unnamed player in its first round replay against Horsham on November 14, which it won the game 3-0.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: The FA Cup trophy. | Photo Credit: AP Photo / Jon Super

English club Barnsley was kicked out of this season’s FA Cup on Wednesday for fielding an ineligible player.

The third-division team said an “administrative error” was to blame for fielding the unnamed player in its first round replay against Horsham on November 14. Barnsley won the game 3-0.

“The club has fully cooperated with the investigation and has accepted the FA’s decision,” Barnsley said in a statement. “We would like to apologize to our fans, players and staff for this regrettable error. This mistake — although unintentional — falls way below the high standards we set at this club and is simply not what you deserve.”

A Professional Game Board Sub-Committee has removed Barnsley from the 2023/24 Emirates FA Cup for fielding an ineligible player during their First Round Proper Replay against Horsham

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) November 22, 2023

The FA said non-league club Horsham had been reinstated in the competition and has advanced to the second round, where it will play fourth-division team Sutton on December 2.

Premier League teams enter the FA Cup in the third round.

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Neither the FA nor Barnsley immediately responded to requests to identify the player, who the governing body said was ineligible because he had not been “correctly” registered in time for the original game on November 3, which ended in a 3-3 draw.

“Barnsley admitted this charge and acknowledged that the breach had occurred,” the FA said.

Barnsley said it had conducted an internal investigation and “put safeguards in place to ensure this will never happen again.”