Swindon’s Ian Holloway labels the FA as ‘unprofessional’ in his post match interview after Ollie Clarke gets handed an extra ban.
This comes after the Football Association notified him just 24 hours before Swindon’s League Two fixture against Barrow that captain Ollie Clarke was banned for one match and couldn’t play, despite the team having prepared with him in the lineup. Swindon went on to win 3-1 without him.
The ban stems from when Holloway’s side fielded Clarke in an EFL Trophy win over Luton, for which the club was fined £1,000, after they thought his prior seven-game suspension, which was for “highly violating and intentional foul play” involving an opponents’ private body parts in a Carabao Cup game against Cardiff in August, did not apply to that competition.
Clarke admitted to the charges, but claimed they were unintentional, this was rejected by the FA. Holloway was incensed by the late timing of the additional one-match ban.
🗣️ “Have a look at yourselves”
A furious post-match reaction from Ian Holloway on Ollie Clarke’s ban being announced on the eve of today’s win over Barrow.
Hear his full reaction on @BBCSounds 🎧👉 https://t.co/504V4jL6Me#STFC #BBCFootball #BBCEFL pic.twitter.com/NeREpzmCGt
— BBC Wiltshire Sport (@BBCWiltsSport) January 31, 2026
Ian Holloway said: “We had a terrible blow when I was told at five o’clock that my captain couldn’t play after we prepared with him in the team.
“They want to fine me, good. They want to ban me, good. Do it. Have a look at yourselves, every single goddamn one of you. They give us the smallest fine they could possibly do, but they’ve hampered me as a manager. I am not allowed to do the preparation that I’ve done in such an unprofessional way.
“How are they allowed to say he’s banned for tomorrow and I’ve got no time to train my team? So I’ve rung the LMA. Do you know what I can do about any of it? Absolutely nothing. And now we’ve got another one on Monday, which is another charade.
“I’ve just asked all the officials today, if I try to put someone on it half time, who’s not named on the team sheet, whose responsibility is that to let him go on? Because I could easily use one of the other ones.
“And they said, quite honestly, yeah, it’d be ours, wouldn’t it? I said, well, don’t do that today then, will you? Why are we trying to blame everybody else? It’s disgusting.
“They want to fine me, good. They want to ban me, good. Do it. Have a look at yourselves, every single goddamn one of you. It’s absolutely disgusting.
“And whether I get another game or not, I don’t really care anymore. I care about my team. I care about my captain. I care about my players. And I should be allowed to prepare professionally.
“And if anybody wants to say, oh, you should have been professional, right? Well, I’ll tell you what’s professional. She looked on the portal. She made one mistake by pressing the wrong button, and the wrong name went down on these horrible computers that will take over the world in the end.
“So I forgive her that mistake. But the referee and the fourth official let her down at half time, and the portal let her down. Apparently, she should have checked with the handbook.
“Sort your lives out, every single stinking one of you. That’s how I feel. Right? And it’s a siege mentality in my head now.
“Absolutely, totally, and utterly. And if Luton go through because they’ve had all good luck to you, we beat you. Fair and poxy square. There you go. That’s how I feel.
“And I think that’s what’s been hanging around us like a stinking something in your underpants that shouldn’t be there.
“And I’ve said it now. And you know what? We’re going to get absolutely not listened to, not anything to do with it. They’re all too big to admit that.
“Oh, hang on. And a pair of them don’t even get on anyway. The FA or the EFL do not get on. They don’t like each other in the… Oh, it’s a joke.
“Why are you getting solicitors? Because they roll them to themselves on my life. I won’t say anything. Why shouldn’t I? I’ve been in front of them, God knows how many times, because I’m passionate. The game’s passionate.
“And I’m not having our club secretary drag through the coals left, right and centre. You have a look at yourselves first. I know how wrong you are, you cowards. Anyway, back to football.”
FA explain 7-game ban for Swindon’s Ollie Clarke, with Cardiff player ‘upset’ after being violated
Ian Holloway fumes over process of Swindon’s Ollie Clarke being banned for seven games
Here’s how fans reacted after Swindon’s Ian Holloway labels the FA ‘unprofessional’ after Ollie Clarke gets handed an extra ban…
@Elliscfc88: Blokes not wrong, FA, EFL, National League, all headed up by clueless fools.
@ValleyFloydFred: Geezer is seriously unhinged. Gets punished for failing to adhere to competition rules and then cries and has a tantrum when he gets punished for it. Grow the fuck up Holloway. 🤣
@scfcjt: this has to be one of the best interviews ive ever seen, the sudden outburst of rage absolutely kills me ffs 😂😂😂
@MikeHoefling: refreshing to see someone not scared of getting a fine and really exposing the corruption and hypocrisy of the FA and EFL. killing the game especially for the lower leagues
@SenseInACesspit: What a tool 😂😂😂 Here’s an idea, get your staff to do their job correctly and then there will be no issues.
@jamotweets: But you didn’t win “fair and square” you played someone who was banned and another who the club failed to list on their teamsheet. Absolute heads gone by someone who knows he’s fucked up
@9yrspodcast: He’s right about technology and I don’t disagree with him otherwise, but this is an unhinged way to vocalise these thoughts. He will wake up embarrassed by this.
@DeanMcMackin: If you’re a football fan have a listen to possibly the angriest interview from a manager I’ve ever heard. Brilliant
@CTFCHector: Ian Holloway’s interview is a class viewing… But he is 100% right, teams have to prepare professionally for every game they face, the league could do with doing the same.
@stuartalker: Break the rules of professional football in a game of professional football and react like this when getting punished for it. Everyone else managed to abide by the rules 🤷♂️ Absolutely horrendous this guy.
@PaulJnr99656284: Ian Holloway and Neil Warnock podcast. Ian and Neil – Here’s the deal
@ChazHKR1: Football needs characters like Holloway.
@EFCClassOf85: That Ian Holloway rant is an all timer 😂
