Plymouth Argyle, Luton Town & Swindon Town involved in big EFL controversy | OneFootball

A row could be threatening to engulf this year's Vertu Trophy involving three clubs, and it could lead to another outburst from one of their managers.

Swindon Town manager, Ian Holloway, created headlines at the start of this week with his comments about a player suspension in a press conference, and his mood is unlikely to have been improved by what's happened next in relation to this story.

The Vertu Trophy is not a competition that grabs many headlines until it reaches its latter stages, but it's now being engulfed in a row which could overshadow the rest of the competition.

Three clubs - Plymouth Argyle, Luton Town and Swindon Town - have been drawn into the controversy, which is related to a player registration issue which has already drawn considerable press attention because of comments made by the Swindon manager Ian Holloway following his team's 3-1 home win against Barrow on the 31st January.

Holloway's mood is unlikely to have been improved by the latest news from the EFL over what happened during the Vertu Trophy match between Luton and Swindon, which was played on the 13th January, with Swindon winning 2-1 to - as they thought at the time - book a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Plymouth confirm Luton reinstatement into Vertu Trophy following Swindon's removal

Posting to the social media platform X, Plymouth Argyle's official account confirmed on Wednesday evening that "Argyle will play Luton Town in the Vertu Trophy quarter finals after Swindon Town were today removed from the competition for breaches of EFL Regulations and EFL Trophy rules".

Argyle confirmed that "the breaches relate to Swindon fielding two ineligible players against Luton Town in the Vertu Trophy Round of 16 tie they won 2-1", and that "following Argyle's request, due to the lack of preparation time for both Tom Cleverley's side and the loyal Green Army ahead of the next round, the game will now not take place on Tuesday, 10 February as originally scheduled".

They went on to add that "the date of the tie will be announced in the next 48 hours, with ticket details to follow once this is confirmed".

The penalties for fielding ineligible players are always severe

This coming storm was foreshadowed by comments made by the Swindon Town manager Ian Holloway following his team's 3-1 home win against Barrow in League Two. Holloway expressed his fury at being informed that the Swindon captain, Ollie Clarke, was banned for the match just 24 hours before kick-off by the FA as a result of the issue relating to the Luton match.

At the post-match press conference, he said: "They want to fine me? Good! They want to ban me? Good! Do it. Have a look at yourselves every single one of you. It's absolutely disgusting.

"And whether I get another game or not, I don’t really care anymore. I care about my team. I care about my captain, I care about my players, and I should be allowed to prepare professionally."

The controversy relates to Clarke and another player, Aaron Drinan. Clarke played in the match, even though he was serving a seven-match suspension at the time, because Swindon believed that his ban didn't apply to the Vertu Trophy.

In addition to this, Drinan was brought on as a substitute during the match despite his name not appearing on the team sheet. It's understood that both of these errors came about as a result of administrative mistakes.

The BBC confirmed their elimination from the competition, also reporting: "Swindon have also been fined £40,000, with £20,000 of it suspended, which will be automatically payable if they field or name on a team sheet an ineligible player before the end of the 2026-27 season."

The EFL's rules on eligibility can get complex, but they are clear on one thing: "In the absence of confirmation by The League confirming a Player’s registration, Clubs should always check a Player’s eligibility by telephone or via iFAS on the Club Portal. The penalties for playing an ineligible Player can be severe."

By all accounts, the Portal was checked, but incorrectly. There isn't any dispute over what happened, and the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that all paperwork is correct does rest with clubs themselves.

Swindon Town's next match is at home against Oldham Athletic on Saturday lunchtime, and it's due to be broadcast live on Sky Sports. There may be considerable interest in what Holloway has to say next on the matter.