Football League fines 12 clubs for fielding weakened teams

A quarter of the teams that played in the Checkatrade Trophy have been fined.

A quarter of the League One and Two clubs that played in the Checkatrade Trophy's group stage have been fined by the English Football League for fielding weakened teams.

The competition was controversially revamped this season to include 16 invited under-21 teams from the Championship and Premier League. These sides, which could finish with as many as eight over-21 players on the field by the end of the game, were added to the 48 League One and Two teams to make 16 groups of four.