Glentoran awarded Women's League Cup after Cliftonville registration breach

Glentoran have been awarded the Women's League Cup after the Northern Ireland Football League overturned Cliftonville's victory in the final because two players were not correctly registered. BBC Sport reported that the decision ends Cliftonville's hopes of completing a domestic treble, with the club also receiving a £500 fine.

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The investigation followed a complaint from Glentoran about the eligibility and registration of two Cliftonville players who took part in the final. NIFL's competitions committee found that their registrations did not comply with the competition's regulations. It awarded Glentoran a 3-0 victory in place of the result achieved on the pitch.

In its announcement, the committee also recognised Cliftonville's cooperation with the inquiry, thanking the club for its openness and integrity throughout the process. The statement did not identify either of the players concerned. Its finding centred on registration requirements; it did not provide further detail about how those requirements had not been met.

Cliftonville had won the final 4-0 at Seaview on 5 July. NIFL's original match report recorded an attendance of 1,081 and two first-half goals from Caitlin McGuinness, in the 19th and 26th minutes. Kirsty McGuinness added the third in the 68th minute before Danielle Maxwell completed the scoring in the 82nd.

That performance had appeared to secure a fourth consecutive victory in the competition for Cliftonville. The original match account described Caitlin McGuinness opening the scoring after goalkeeper Maddy Harvey-Clifford sent a long pass forward. The subsequent eligibility ruling means the club's four-goal win no longer determines who holds the trophy, despite that emphatic performance in July.

The reversal comes after Cliftonville had already secured the league championship, finishing nine points ahead of Glentoran, according to BBC Sport. The north Belfast side therefore retain their league success but have lost the League Cup component of their pursuit of three domestic trophies this season.

The two clubs are scheduled to meet again in the Women's Irish Cup final at Windsor Park on 24 October. That leaves another trophy to be decided between the Belfast rivals, but the League Cup ruling has removed the possibility of Cliftonville completing the treble in that match.