EFL official rules could give Newcastle United unexpected Carabao Cup boost – announcement imminent.
Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup third round tie at AFC Wimbledon is set to be postponed.
Flooding around Plough Lane means the fixture will have to be rearranged for a later date. The tie was set to take place on Tuesday evening (7:45pm kick-off).
It means Newcastle and Wimbledon will both be in the hat for the last-16 draw which will take place on Wednesday evening after Liverpool face West Ham United.
An official announcement and further updates will follow in due course with Newcastle anticipating the match to be postponed.
The official EFL rules state that the fixture must be rearranged for the ‘earliest possible opportunity’. Wimbledon’s next two League Two matches set to take place at Plough Lane are also in doubt, risking a potential backlog of fixtures.
The rules state: “If, a Club is unable to fulfil its obligation to complete a Competition Match for any reason then the Management Committee shall use its reasonable endeavours to rearrange the fixture for the earliest reasonable opportunity (including but not limited to arranging for the Competition Match to be played at a neutral venue) which will not be later than the date of the first Competition Match scheduled to take place in the immediately following round.”
Fourth round ties will commence on the week of October 28 with an international break coming up in the meantime. But the rules state if Wimbledon are unable to fulfil the fixture then Newcastle could receive a bye to the fourth round.
The rules add: “Where the Management Committee determine that the Competition Match cannot be rearranged the Management Committee shall have the power to declare that the Competition Match shall be abandoned.
“Where the Management Committee declare that the Competition Match shall be abandoned, the Club shall forfeit the Competition Match, pay the opposing Club’s expenses in accordance with Rule 5.6 and the opposing Club shall receive a bye into the next round of the Competition.”
Newcastle reached the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup last season and the final in 2023. An official announcement and further updates regarding the Wimbledon match will follow in due course.
