The Football Association (FA) on Wednesday removed third tier side Barnsley Football Club from FA Cup. According to an FA statement, the former FA Cup champions fielded an ineligible player in their first round clash against non-league side Horsham.
The FA statement read, “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 on Tuesday 14 November 2023.“
The statement confirms that Horsham will replace the Tykes in the second round and will take on Sutton next month.
The 1912 FA Cup winners, Barnsley, have declined to confirm the player’s identity. The Football Association simply stated it was a ‘failure to register’.
The FA alleged that the player was ineligible for this Replay. He was not correctly registered and eligible for the original First Round match on 3rd November 2023. It constitutes a breach of FA Cup Rule 103.
Barnsley released a statement of their own. It said, “Today the FA has advised us that we will no longer be able to participate in the FA Cup this season.
“An administrative error was brought to our attention regarding the eligibility of a player who played in last Tuesday’s game with Horsham FC.
“The club has fully cooperated with the investigation and has accepted the FA’s decision. We have been in contact with Horsham FC. We would like to thank the club and Chairman for their understanding and cooperation throughout this process.
Barnsley also apologised to its fans, players and staff for the error.
Barnsley are one of the few clubs to have been eliminated from the FA Cup altogether. In 2006, then League Two outfit Bury became the first side to be eliminated from the competition outside the qualifying stages for over 100 years. They were banned for using an ineligible player in their second-round replay defeat of Chester City.
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