Wrexham AFC have been fined £75,000 by the English Football League (EFL) after two incidents of fielding ineligible players during the current Championship season. Of the total fine, £25,000 is suspended.
Details of the breaches
The EFL ruled that defender Issa Kabore and midfielder Callum O'Hare were ineligible for matches against Birmingham City and Millwall respectively. Kabore came on as a substitute in Wrexham's 2-1 defeat at Birmingham on 28 August, despite his Home Office 'right to work' documents not being correctly uploaded. O'Hare, who had joined from Sheffield United a day earlier, was an unused substitute in the 3-0 win at Millwall on 2 September, but his registration was not completed in time.
EFL findings
The disciplinary commission found that Wrexham ignored an official warning on the team-sheet system indicating Kabore was ineligible, with the player highlighted by a red bar. The commission rejected the club's claim that the warning disappeared upon reopening the app. Regarding O'Hare, the club had three registration applications rejected before his eligibility was confirmed at 11:15 BST on 2 September, nearly 24 hours after the deadline. The FA had initially rejected "substantially incomplete documents" submitted by the club.
Club response
Wrexham, currently 17th in the Championship, admitted the second breach and committed to improving administrative processes, including hiring a club secretary and enhancing training. A club official told BBC Sport Wales that the errors were not the fault of manager Phil Parkinson, his coaching staff, or new sporting director Steve Nickson, who was not officially appointed until 7 September. The club stated it is taking appropriate steps to prevent recurrence.
