Liverpool face EFL Cup expulsion for fielding ineligible Pedro Chirivella against MK Dons

Liverpool face the prospect of being expelled from this season’s EFL Cup after fielding an ineligible player in their third round victory at Milton Keynes Dons.

Pedro Chirivella, the 22-year-old Spanish midfielder, is understood to be the player in question, with the dispute between the club and the Football Associatio relating to international clearance.

The FA requires international clearance for any player previously registered to a club outside England or a foreign national seeking to register in the country for the first time.

Though Chirivella joined Liverpool in 2013, he spent the second half of last season on loan at Extremadura, after which his international clearance needed to be renewed.

Liverpool are understood to have made an application to the FA in July. A club spokesperson said: “The club are aware of a potential administrative issue pertaining to one of our players.

“We are working with the relevant authorities in order to establish the facts of the matter and will be making no further comment until this process is complete.”

An EFL spokesperson told The Independent: “We are currently considering the matter.” The organisers refused to speculate on potential sanctions.

The EFL Cup's rules warn clubs that the organisers have “full power” to investigate those in breach of regulations and will impose “penalties by way of reprimand, fine or other penalty (or any combination thereof)”.

Liverpool are likely to claim that a fine - rather than expulsion - is a suitable punishment given the precedent set by a case against Sunderland in 2014.

Sunderland were ultimately fined for fielding Ji Dong Won, a South Korean striker, without international clearance after his return from a loan spell at Augsburg.

Ji played a second round EFL Cup tie against MK Dons as well as four Premier League games before the administrative error was revealed.

Chirivella made his first Liverpool appearance since 2016 in Wednesday’s 2-0 win at Stadium MK, replacing Naby Keita as a 62nd-minute substitute.

The midfielder was the victim of another administrative error earlier this year when documents related to his loan move to Extremadura arrived late, thus preventing him from playing for the club.

Chirivella joined Liverpool from Valencia’s youth ranks, made five appearances during the 2015-16 season and was named in Klopp’s 25-man Premier League squad for the current campaign.

The 22-year-old also played 90 minutes for Liverpool’s Under-21s in their 3-2 EFL Trophy defeat to Oldham Athletic in August. It is unclear whether the EFL are also looking into Chirivella’s involvement in the second competition.