Swindon manager Ian Holloway slammed the FA in an extraordinary interview after he was informed that captain Olly Clarke had been suspended just 24 hours before the game started.
Ian Holloway lashed out at the FA after one of his players was suspended
Ian Holloway has launched one of his great managerial rants, claiming it is “absolutely disgusting” that the Swindon captain was suspended for the match by the FA just 24 hours before kick-off.
Ollie Clarke was suspended the day before Saturday’s League Two game against Barrow, but the Robins remained in the League Two play-offs with victory.
Swindon were fined £1,000 for fielding Clarke in an EFL Trophy match at Luton, and considered that the seven match ban Clarke had been given at the time did not apply to that competition. Holloway was then told by his captain on Friday that he had been suspended for one match for Saturday’s game.
The former QPR boss was furious that he had been given so little time to prepare or make changes, and his high-pitched, angry voice during the interview made it clear he was angry at the powers that be and called for them to ban him.
“They want to fine me? Fine! They want to ban me? Fine! Do that. Every one of you, look at yourself. It’s absolutely disgusting,” he said.
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“And I’m no longer concerned about whether I’ll be able to play in the next game or not. I care about the team, I care about the captain, I care about the players, and I should be allowed to prepare like a professional.”
Holloway’s anger only increased given that Swindon had been warned they could be penalized if they substituted Aaron Drinan when his name was not on the team sheet.
The veteran coach added: “If someone were to say, ‘Oh, you should have gone pro, right? Well, let me get technical. She (club secretary Alisha Henry) saw a portal, she made the mistake of pressing the wrong button, and the wrong name was etched into the horrible computer that would eventually take over the world.”
“So I forgive her for her mistakes, but the referee and the fourth official let her down at half-time, and the portal let her down. Apparently she should have checked in the handbook. Get your life in order, every single one of you stinks. That’s how I feel, yeah.”
The club said officials should have made the selection clear before kick-off, but there is a chance he could be excluded from the EFL Trophy. “Right now I have a complete siege mentality in my head,” Holloway added. “And good luck to Luton if they get through, we beat you fair and square.”
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