Match Details

EFL Captain Given Huge Ban After He Left Opponent 'Struggling to Speak'

Details of Swindon Town captain Ollie Clarke's seven-match ban have emerged and the League Two star's lengthy suspension relates to two 'extremely serious and usual' incidents within the same game, according to findings shared by the Football Association.

Clarke received the ban and a £2,750 fine last month relating to a game that took place against Cardiff City in August, and both his club and manager Ian Holloway were quick to condemn its length, with the latter branding it 'ridiculous' and citing the midfielder as 'honest and hardworking'.

However, the FA have now published their findings and given crucial details on the nature of Clarke's offences, which involved touching an opponent's private parts.

Official Match Report and FA Panel Provide Concerning Details

Generic EFL referee

Referee Elliot Bell revealed in his match report that a player approached him regarding Clarke's behavior at full-time. He described the Cardiff City player as 'visibly upset' and 'very emotional and struggled to speak'.

While it hasn't been revealed exactly what Clarke did to the aforementioned anonymous player, it has been described as 'highly invasive', 'violating', and involving 'touching an opponent's private body parts during a game'.

An independent regulatory commission heard evidence from the Swindon Town skipper, who claimed that both incidents were unintentional. However, this argument was dismissed by the panel, who believed there was 'no plausible explanation' for Clarke's actions, especially while the ball was out of play.

FA Findings in Full

Linesman's flag generic

The FA have published their findings in full, explaining that they initially considered a nine-game ban when combining both incidents but ultimately reduced it to seven.

"In respect of Charge 1, the Commission considered the actions of the Player to be highly violating and intentional foul play. In respect of Charge 2, the Commission considered the actions of the Player to, again, be highly violating and intentional foul play, with the further aggravated factor of the incident occurring 37 minutes after the first incident within the same match.

"The indecency of this action requires an immediate sporting sanction of no less than six matches. Taking both incidents together, the panel applied a starting point of nine matches before reducing the punishment to seven under the principle of totality."

Clarke has already served four games of his seven-match ban, having been absent since late December. The suspension doesn't carry over into the EFL trophy, meaning he is due to miss back-to-back games with Salford City (League Two and FA Cup Third Round), as well as a table-topping clash with Bromley.

With Salford currently fourth, all three games will have a massive bearing on how the rest of Swindon's season pans out.

Swindon Town's Statement

Swindon Town manager Ian Holloway

Swindon Town released a statement defending Clarke when his ban was first introduced by 'strongly condemning' the FA's decision. The statement read:

"Swindon Town Football Club strongly condemns the decision of an independent regulatory panel to sanction Ollie Clarke and impose a seven-match suspension following two alleged incidents during our Carabao Cup fixture against Cardiff City on 12 August 2025.

"The Club believes the decision falls short of the standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt and was instead based on the balance of probabilities. Throughout this lengthy process, Ollie Clarke has consistently maintained his innocence, a position that has never wavered."

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"We are concerned by the prolonged nature of the proceedings and the impact this process has had on Ollie’s mental well-being. As a club captain, Ollie’s character and integrity have never been in question, and he continues to have the full support of the club, the management, and his teammates.

"Swindon Town will continue to support Ollie Clarke fully in the aftermath of this decision