Aston Villa boss Carla Ward admitted a “horrible mistake” to field ineligible player Noelle Maritz which could knock them out of the League Cup.
Defender Maritz was brought off the bench at half-time in Villa’s 7-0 rout over Sunderland on Wednesday with the score at 3-0 when she stepped onto the pitch.
Maritz joined Villa from Arsenal in January but had previously made three appearances for the Gunners earlier in the competition.
The Football Association has referred the matter to an independent tribunal for “an alleged breach of Cup Rule 8.19”.
Villa’s comfortable victory meant they finished at the top of Group A and sealed their place in the quarter-finals, ahead of Sunderland in second, but their future in the competition now depends on the decision of the tribunal.
Ward admits conversations have taken place to make sure this does not happen again.
She told a press conference: “As a club we understand there has been a horrible mistake, quite honestly, and there has been some internal conversations and investigations on how this has happened.
“We have to take a collective responsibility on what is a horrible moment and we have to ensure we get the right processes in place that this doesn’t happen again.
Aston Villa reached the quarter-finals stage in last season’s competition and were aiming to go further this season but Ward admits they will accept any punishment that now may come their way.
“Of course there’s a worry because we targeted this to try and get to the semi-final, if not the final,” she added.
“We believe we’ve got enough quality. It’s in the hands of the FA now, we’re not sure what will be, but they’ll come to the right outcome of course and whatever that will be, we will accept.
“We performed excellently, won 7-0 but we’re not talking about that. Some individual brilliance, collective brilliance and a real positive performance…that would make it five wins in seven, that’s what we should be talking about.”
Villa return to Women’s Super League action on Sunday, with a match away to Manchester United.
The tribunal’s decision could have could have implications for United’s qualification for the League Cup quarter-finals, with boss Marc Skinner hoping ‘the right decision is made’.
Skinner said: “I actually don’t think we have a say in it, even though it can directly affect us.
“I will just reiterate what I said the other night in that I hope the right decision is made and it’s not to the detriment of Manchester United.
“We did everything we can to qualify from the most difficult group and I feel hopefully the right decision is made and doesn’t scold Manchester United.”
“I hope it’s taken to that serious extent. It’s not to throw blame at anyone – I’m not here to do that – I just hope it’s common sense that prevails and that we’re not the team that has to suffer from this situation.”
Italiano confirms Fiorentina exit after Atalanta victory
Vincenzo Italiano confirmed he is leaving Europa Conference League runners-up Fiorentina after they ended their Serie A campaign with a 3-2 win at Atalanta on Sunday.
Italiano took charge of Fiorentina in 2021 and has led them to three successive top-eight finishes in Serie A, also reaching the Europa Conference League final in back-to-back campaigns.
However, they were beaten by a last-gasp Jarrod Bowen goal as West Ham lifted the trophy last year, then lost out to Olympiacos in extra time in the 2023-24 final.
The Viola wrapped up their campaign with an impressive 3-2 win at Atalanta in a rescheduled fixture on Sunday, after which he announced his departure.
"We all took this decision together not many weeks ago," Italiano told reporters after Sunday's game. "You reach a certain point where you have to stop.
"I'm convinced whoever arrives will be able to continue a path that will leave something improved, I hope I have left something to this group, I think they have been three positive years.
"The only regret was not having added the trophy, but as [Atalanta coach Gian Piero] Gasperini told me, these paths are worthwhile and will be remembered."
Reflecting on Fiorentina's latest European near miss, Italiano said he was confident his team would come out on top if the game was replayed.
He also said he regretted being unable to end a traumatic season with silverware, with the club being rocked by the death of general manager Joe Barone in March.
"I would play Olympiacos again tonight, we were all convinced we could beat them. We all believed we could reach the end of the cycle but we didn't succeed," Italiano said.
"The saddest moment was the loss of our director, the worst moment since I was in football. The love we had for him pushed us towards an emotional ending."
De Jong unsure on fitness ahead of Euro 2024
Frenkie de Jong is unsure whether he will be fit for the Netherlands' Euro 2024 opener against Poland as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury.
De Jong was included in Ronald Koeman's final 26-man squad for the Euros despite an ankle issue preventing him from featuring for Barcelona since April 21.
The midfielder was limited to just 30 appearances in all competitions through 2023-24, as the Blaugrana finished a distant second to Real Madrid in LaLiga and exited the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.
He is yet to join in with team training despite linking up with his international team-mates ahead of warm-up matches against Canada and Iceland.
Speaking to reporters after going through an individual session on Sunday, De Jong said: "I'm not fit yet, so I can't say I'm doing well.
"The ankle is fine in itself but it just needs to recover properly because it shouldn't become something chronic.
"I'm not doing anything with the team yet. I am doing physio and recovery training, individual training.
"We just have to wait and see how the ankle goes. Then we will see when I can join in."
Asked if he expected to face Poland in the Oranje's Group D opener on June 16, De Jong said: "That is always the question.
"If you are not completely fit now and are not training with the group, then the question is always when and if you will make it. No one knows exactly.
"I really cannot say when. That's not because I don't want to and know it myself. It's just difficult to say."
Euro 2024 will be the Netherlands' 11th participation at UEFA's flagship international tournament, and they won the competition when it was last hosted solely in Germany, beating the Soviet Union in the 1988 final.
Atalanta 2-3 Fiorentina: Scalvini injured as La Dea miss chance to finish third
Italy defender Giorgio Scalvini was forced off injured as Atalanta failed to secure a third-place finish in Serie A on Sunday, being substituted late on in a 3-2 loss to Fiorentina.
The Europa League winners faced the Europa Conference League runners-up in Bergamo one week after the rest of the league played their final games of 2023-24, with the teams unable to meet before now due to their European commitments.
A victory would have taken Gian Piero Gasperini's team – who were guaranteed a top-four finish – above Juventus into third, but Andrea Belotti put them behind within six minutes.
Ademola Lookman raced clear to equalise with a dinked finish within six further minutes, but Nicolas Gonzalez's fine volley soon re-established the Viola's lead.
Scalvini drilled in a terrific shot to pull Atalanta level again shortly after the hour mark, but his game would later end in tears as he was helped from the field with an apparent knee issue – a major concern for Italy less than two weeks out from their Euro 2024 opener.
Belotti had put Fiorentina back in the lead following a goalmouth scramble on the stroke of half-time, and Atalanta were unable to force a leveller in the second period as their fine season ended on a flat note.
Data Debrief: Thrilling end to Serie A season
Sunday's game – the final Serie A contest of 2023-24 – saw more first-half goals scored than any other match in the competition this term. Belotti got two of the five, and he now has seven goal involvements (six goals, one assist) in his last six league games against Atalanta.
The result is just a minor inconvenience for La Dea, though. They have finished in Serie A's top four for just the fifth time in their history, previously doing so in 2016-17 (fourth), 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 (all third).
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