Harambee Stars Winger Lands Grimsby Town in Trouble Over Ineligibility in Famous Carabao Cup Win vs Man United

Grimsby Town’s famous Carabao Cup triumph over Manchester United has been overshadowed by controversy after the League Two side were fined for fielding an ineligible player.

The Mariners stunned Ruben Amorim’s side in the second round at Blundell Park, progressing 12-11 on penalties after a dramatic shoot-out. 

However, their celebrations were dampened when it later emerged that Harambee Stars winger Clarke Oduor, who featured in the match, had been registered too late to be eligible.

PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Sports News in Kenya from Pulse Sports

Oduor, on loan from Bradford City, completed his move to Grimsby the day before the fixture and made his debut as a second-half substitute, even stepping up in the penalty shoot-out before missing his effort. 

But a registration error meant his paperwork was filed at 12:01pm on 26 August—just one minute after the official midday deadline.

The EFL confirmed the breach and announced a £20,000 fine, with half of that sum suspended until the end of the 2025/26 season. In its statement, the governing body acknowledged that Grimsby had self-reported the mistake and accepted that there had been no attempt to mislead.

“The breach relates to the Club fielding an ineligible player against Manchester United in a Round Two tie on 27 August 2025,” the EFL said. “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, shortly after the 12:00pm deadline required in accordance with the competition rules.”

Grimsby Town responded with their own statement, citing a technical issue as the cause of the delay.

“The registration of Oduor was submitted to the EFL at one minute past the deadline and the issue was not immediately identified by the Club due to a computer problem,” it read. 

“We accept the fine imposed and fully recognise the importance of adhering to competition rules and regulations. This mistake was not deliberate, and the Club acted transparently by self-reporting the breach.”

The Mariners confirmed they had reviewed their internal processes to avoid a repeat of the incident.

Despite the breach, United will not be reinstated in the competition, with Grimsby progressing to the third round as originally scheduled.

Oduor, a former Leeds United academy player, made his debut for Kenya against Zambia in 2020 under Francis Kimanzi, and has gone on to earn just one more cap for Harambee Stars, which came against South Sudan in September 2023.

The winger has yet to earn a call up to the squad under Benni McCarthy, but will be hoping he can impress for his club in future to force his way into the South African’s thinking.