Manchester United make a decision on Grimsby Town’s Carabao Cup controversy

Grimsby breached EFL rules

And his inclusion against United meant that they ended up breaching EFL rules, but the governing body put through a fine on Grimsby aggregating to £20,000 rather than disqualify them. And this decision from the governing body meant that United can appeal and potentially push to secure a replay or can also be reinstated to face Sheffield Wednesday in the third round. But the club has refused to take that route in what has been a call which has sparked a lot of debate among the supporters online.

In this scenario, United did have five days to respond, but according to The Sun, the chiefs at Carrington opted against putting in an appeal against it, as the club cited sportsmanship over their decision.

Mixed reaction from supporters over Grimsby appeal decision

The reaction by the United supporters has been mixed, which is quite understandable given that a section of the supporters have been praising the chiefs at Carrington quite highly given their decision not to exploit this technicality, which is seen by them as a rare act of integrity in modern football. But then there is also a section of fans who look at this as a missed opportunity, as they feel that the elimination from the League Cup could have been reversed if the club would have managed to get a replay.

And while these sections of opinions are understandable, this also shows the wider cultural shift that the club is undergoing at Old Trafford under Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is looking to earn more long-term credibility than immediate gains. But for now the Carabao Cup run for this season for United looks done, and it is not by the rulebook but instead by choice.