Barnsley defeated Horsham in the FA Cup first round earlier this month, but it is the Non-League side who will progress to the next round.
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Barnsley beat Horsham after replayBut Non-League side progressLeague One club disqualified over ineligible playerWHAT HAPPENED?
The League One club needed a replay to get past their opponents following a 3-3 draw at home on November 3, eventually progressing thanks to a John McAtee brace and Nicky Cadden strike on November 14. But the Football Association revealed in a statement on Wednesday that Barnsley were disqualified from the competition with immediate effect, leaving Horsham to progress to round two.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE EXPLANATION
This is because Barnsley fielded an "ineligible" player for the replay on November 14. The statement issued by the FA explains that Barnsley had not correctly registered said player, who has remained nameless, for the first round proper match on November 3. Barnsley, for their part, admitted their wrongdoing, leading to their consequent removal from the competition.
WHAT THE FA SAID
A statement on the FA website reads as follows: "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 FA alleged that the player was ineligible for this Replay, as he was not correctly registered and eligible for the original First Round Proper match on Friday 3 November 2023, which constitutes a breach of FA Cup Rule 103. Barnsley admitted this charge and acknowledged that the breach had occurred. The Sub-Committee’s members ordered that Barnsley be removed from the competition, and that Horsham be awarded the tie and progression to the Second Round Proper."
WHAT BARNSLEY SAID
The League One club wrote in their own statement: "The club has fully cooperated with the investigation and has accepted the FA’s decision. We have been in contact with Horsham FC and would like to thank the club and Chairman for their understanding and cooperation throughout this process. We would like to apologise 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 [the fans] deserve. We have already conducted a full internal investigation and have subsequently put safeguards in place to ensure this will never happen again.”
