Liverpool have been fined £200,000 by the EFL for fielding Pedro Chirivella against MK Dons in their third-round League Cup win.
Chirivella came on as a substitute in the 2-0 victory at Stadium MK, however, the Spaniard did not have international clearance from FIFA to play.
Whilst the club has been fined, EFL has said it won’t be kicking Liverpool out of the competition because it “wasn’t appropriate” and due to “mitigating factors”.
There were suggestions the Reds would be booted out or have to play a replay, however, their fourth-round tie against Arsenal at Anfield will go ahead on 29 October.
Instead, Liverpool will have to contend with a fine, half of which – £100,000 – has been suspended until the end of next season.
The 22-year-old required paperwork from the Football Association after returning from a loan spell at Spanish side Extremadura last year.
According to the EFL, Liverpool “sought the assistance of the FA” before the start of the current season and they had been granted permission to include Chirivella on the team sheet for two Premier League fixtures.
A statement from EFL said: “The club’s breach was in part due to the challenges it encountered with securing the correct international clearance, and its subsequent ability to include the player on team sheets despite the lack of clearance.
“As a result the board concluded the most appropriate sanction was a financial penalty.”
Liverpool will need to pay the fine of £100,000, plus an additional penalty, if they field another ineligible player in the competition before the end of next season.
