The Championship just got a little more crazy.
With their 1-0 win over Brighton on the 6th April, The Millers moved seven points clear of the relegation zone and looked to have all but solidified their place in the Championship next season. Now, their plight looks a lot more desperate.
One of the starting 11 for Rotherham in that game was Farrend Rawson, a young centre-back who’d joined Rotherham on a youth loan from Derby on the 7th March. However, the loan was originally just for 28 days – meaning that it expired the day before Rotherham met Brighton.
Rotherham manager Steve Evans had originally stated that Rawson’s loan had been extended – clearly not the case. The Football LEague earlier released a statement stating that they had charged Rotherham United with fielding and ineligible played. At this stage, it’s unclear what went wrong. It’s possible that it was just a paperwork error that stopped the extension from going through. Derby may have pulled out of the deal, or the extension simply may not have gone through in time.
Whatever the case, it’s bad news for Rotherham – but great news for Millwall and Wigan, the two clubs that – at least previously – were likely to join Blackpool in League One next season. Both Millwall (who have a game in hand) and Wigan are on 36 points at the moment. If Rotherham were to be deducted three points by the Football League, they’d have just a four point lead over Millwall and Wigan – who play each other tomorrow night. A Millwall win would put them just one point back, and firmly in with a chance of survival that, before the charge was announced, looked to be slim to none.
It’s not certain that the club will receive a points deduction, but it doesn’t look good. According to Clause 6.9 of the FA rulebook,
“Any Club found to have played an ineligible Player in a match shall have any points gained from that match deducted from its record and have levied upon it a fine. The Company may vary this decision in respect of the points gained only in circumstances where the ineligibility is due to the failure to obtain an International Transfer Certificate or where the ineligibility is related to the Player’s status only. The Board may also order that such match be replayed on such terms as are decided by the Board which may also levy penalty points against the Club in default.”
“Ineligibility related to the player’s status” sounds like it could apply here. What actually happened is vital, as if the FA rule that the second sentence applies here, the club will almost certainly escape a points deduction. Last season, Sunderland fielded an ineligible player in Ji-Dong Won. As the issue was that a paperwork issue led to him not having international clearance, Sunderland faced a heavy fine – but, crucially, no deduction.
While the club do their best to persuade the FA that the mistake was unintentional and doesn’t warrant a points deduction, fans will simply have to watch with bated breath. As for Millwall and Wigan, they may have just been handed their final lifeline, let’s see if they use it.
