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Manchester United’s Continental Cup marketing campaign has come to an finish after an FA Investigation into Aston Villa fielding an ineligible participant got here to an finish.
Villa beat Sunderland 7-0 of their closing group sport of the Conti Cup however cup-tied defender Noelle Maritz got here on as an alternative.
United misplaced their closing sport to Metropolis on Wednesday however as a result of their excellent run up till that time, United had certified as finest runner-up.
Nonetheless, the FA investigation has taken three factors off Villa and awarded these to Sunderland that means Sunderland now progress as group winners and Villa nonetheless progress as finest runners-up as they’ve a greater purpose distinction than United.
Maritz had made three appearances for Arsenal earlier within the competitors earlier than becoming a member of Villa on mortgage in January.
An FA assertion learn: “An impartial tribunal have deducted three factors from Aston Villa for fielding an ineligible participant throughout their League Cup group stage fixture in opposition to Sunderland on Wednesday, 24 January 2024.
“The FA alleged that the participant was ineligible for this sport, as she had beforehand featured within the competitors for her former membership, which constitutes a breach of Cup Rule 8.19.
“Aston Villa admitted this cost and acknowledged the breach had occurred. The impartial tribunal ordered that the factors deducted from Aston Villa be awarded to their opponents Sunderland, whereas the 7-0 rating line is to be expunged from the report.
“Consequently, Sunderland will end as Group A winners, with Aston Villa progressing to the quarter-finals as one of many two best-placed runners-up alongside Tottenham Hotspur.”
Manchester United have issued a response to the FA’s resolution saying: “We’re very dissatisfied with this consequence, and don’t perceive its rationale.
“We really feel that it undermines the integrity of the competitors, and of the ladies’s sport.”
Studying fielded an ineligible participant in 2014 and have been expelled fully from the competitors and fined £50.
