Blackpool left ‘bitterly disappointed’ at the FA Cup decision regarding Forest Green

Blackpool say they have been left ‘bitterly disappointed’ at the FA Cup decision regarding Forest Green fielding an ineligible player.

Rovers had been set to play League One Blackpool away in the FA Cup second round, but their game was postponed due to an investigation into Forest Green for fielding an ineligible player in the tie against Scarborough Athletic.

Instead, Rovers have been ordered to replay their FA Cup tie against Scarborough Athletic after admitting fielding an ineligible player.

The League Two side have won against the National League North outfit 5-2 in a first-round replay back in mid-November.

The Football Association said a professional game board sub-committee had ruled the tie should be replayed to a finish next Tuesday, the 12th of December.

The winners of that tie will be away to Nottingham Forest in the Third Round.

Barnsley were kicked out of the FA Cup last month for fielding an ineligible player in their 3-0 First Round replay win at non league Horsham.

A Professional Game Board Sub-Committee has ordered the Emirates FA Cup First Round Proper tie between Forest Green Rovers and Scarborough Athletic to be replayed on Tuesday 12 December at 19:45.

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) December 6, 2023

#FACup – differences in Barnsley & Forest Green Rovers players ineligibility.

Barnsley – breached rule 103 & fielded an unregistered player. Disqualified.

FGR – breached rule 109 & fielded a registered loan player but without permission to play from parent club. Re-play tie.

— FA Cup Factfile / Phil Annets (@FACupFactfile) December 7, 2023

FA STATEMENT:

A Professional Game Board Sub-Committee has ordered the Emirates FA Cup First Round Proper tie between Forest Green Rovers and Scarborough Athletic to be replayed on Tuesday 12 December at 19:45.

The FA charged Forest Green Rovers for fielding an ineligible player in the Emirates FA Cup First Round Proper tie against Scarborough Athletic, which constitutes a breach of FA Cup Rule 109, and Forest Green Rovers subsequently admitted this charge.

Forest Green Rovers will now play away to Scarborough Athletic in a one-off match on Tuesday 12 December, and the winner will travel away to Blackpool for a Second Round Proper match on Tuesday 19 December.

FOREST GREEN STATEMENT:

Following an FA investigation into the eligibility of a Forest Green Rovers player, our FA Cup First Round tie away at Scarborough Athletic will be replayed on Tuesday, December 12. The tie will be settled on the night, with no replay in the event of a draw.

The FA charged Forest Green Rovers for fielding an ineligible player in The Emirates FA Cup First Round Proper tie against Scarborough Athletic, which constitutes a breach of FA Cup Rule 109, and Forest Green Rovers subsequently admitted this charge.

The winner of the tie will play Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday, December 19.

Ticket details will be announced in due course.

BLACKPOOL STATEMENT:

Blackpool Football Club acknowledges the outcome of The FA’s investigation concerning Forest Green Rovers.

The Club is, however, extremely disappointed at the verdict reached to reschedule our second round fixture to 19 December, and the potential impact this could have on the first-team’s schedule during the Christmas period.

Whilst the Club fully appreciates the need for there to be sporting integrity within one of the oldest and most prestigious cup competitions in world football, the manner in which The FA have handled these events in recent days has been bitterly disappointing, and now leaves the squad with the possibility of having to play six matches in just 16 days.

The Club has expressed it’s concerns privately to The FA, and will be following up in the coming days to find a suitable resolution which does not impact the first-team schedule so much during what is already an extremely busy fortnight of matches during the festive period.

SCARBOROUGH STATEMENT:

Following the announcement from The FA on Friday evening, which stated that Forest Green’s FA Cup second-round tie at Blackpool on Saturday had been postponed because of a Football Association investigation into a Rovers player’s eligibility in round one (against Scarborough Athletic).

We have heard from The FA this evening that we will be replaying the Emirates FA Cup First Round tie against Forest Green Rovers at The Flamingo Land Stadium on Tuesday, 12th December at 7.45!

The game will be played to a conclusion, and the winners will play Blackpool FC on Tuesday 19th December at Bloomfield Road.

We are delighted to be back in the FA Cup and will share more details when we can. Our small team is now working round the clock to get everything sorted, with ticketing info released tomorrow.

This is how fans reacted with Blackpool left ‘bitterly disappointed’ at the FA Cup decision regarding Forest Green…

@dan_masonn01: @FA better get some sort of compensation for how many injuries we’re going to get in those 14 days 👍🏻

@53BFC53: The FA are taking the piss!

@AusBFC1887: Shambles. Kick FGR out, reverse the fixture for Scarborough (a) and I’ll be happy

@rhjbm05: Can’t believe they’re doing the Scarborough game AGAIN. Either they are kicked out or the result stands and we play fgr

@crazyonfooty: I’m lost for words surely just kick fgr out like Barnsley reinstate Scarborough and play Scarborough on the 12th

@dreddy2: The @FA @EmiratesFACup is a total shambles not bothered who we play but the inconsistency is shameful. Sponsors should withdraw their funding. #shambles

@blackpool_taxi: This has all the makings of someone at the FA sending an email out at an end of their busy week after issuing punitive fines and fine dining and thinking it only inconveniences fans so send it on Friday as late as possible. I give you the @FA

@CBR994: They would never treat a premier league team like this, they don’t care about the lower league clubs. 💰

@c15nay: The FA trying to kill the FA Cup!

@IanBrookes3: Complete and utter incompetence by a not fit for purpose bunch of out of touch dinosaurs. There has to be change.

@sammille_r: Fa are incompetent. Shafted Scarborough again. Playing 3 times we don’t have the money for all this . Players are part time not miracle workers

@Tommysmithbfc10: Fuck the fa and efl the useless cunts, if it is for an ineligible player how come barnsley just got kicked out?

@Kylemcc53: One rule for one and one rule of the other. FA useless as always. If I was a Barnsley fan I’d be raging

@cspvisualz: can’t wait for Dembele and CJ to both be out with hamstring injury’s by the start of jan

@DanielFranks85: Wait so forest green have to play Scarborough again? Meanwhile we’ve done fuck all wrong and are going to suffer, not fit for purpose @FA

@pgillett2022: I do feel sorry for Blackpool as they are an innocent party & having their Christmas schedule impacted through no fault of their own.

@MattDavenport: Pathetic decision – @TheFACup has lost some of its integrity here by kicking Barnsley out in round 1 for the exact same thing Forest Green have done.