EFL Clubs have today been notified of the fines issued for rule breaches in Round One of this season’s Checkatrade Trophy.
All of the offences punished were due to a failure to meet competition rule 7.3 of fielding a full strength team in and during all matches.
The EFL did take into account a number of mitigating factors and also considered transgressions that were not within the spirit of the rules.
The ‘full strength’ policy for the season 2016/17 competition was five of the starting line-up must have started the previous or following game (a reduction from six in season 2015/16) or five of the starting 11 who have made the most starting appearances in League and domestic Cup competitions fixtures during the current season.
Invited category 1 clubs were asked to follow a different set of criteria with 6 of the starting 11 required to be under-21 as of June 30, 2016. None of the invited clubs failed to comply.
The clubs penalised were:
- Luton Town - £15,000 (£5,000 per match)
- Portsmouth - £15,000 (£5,000 per match)
- Bradford City - £3,000
- Blackpool - £3,000
- Bristol Rovers - £3,000
- Milton Keynes Dons - £3,000
- Millwall - £3,000
- Charlton Athletic - £3,000
- Peterborough United - £3,000
- Sheffield United - £3,000
- Southend United - £3,000
- Fleetwood Town - £5,000
The 12 Clubs fined have the right to appeal to the EFL Board. The remaining 36 clubs complied fully with rules.
All 32 clubs still involved in the competition will be subject to the relevant selection eligibility criteria as per the 2016/17 rules.