Hadan Holligan trying to make room as Mario Harte (left) makes his move on the outside. (Picture by Shaka Mayers)

BARBADOS’ FOOTBALLERS are staring elimination from the FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament in the face and could also be heavily fined by the sport’s governing body for playing an alleged ineligible player in Sunday night’s second leg qualifying match against Aruba.

Barbados won that game 1-0 following their 2-0 victory in the first leg in Aruba on Wednesday to take the tie with a 3-0 aggregate and advance to the third round.

But all that now seems to be in vain as investigations by NATIONSPORT reveal that exciting wide midfielder Hadan Holligan, who scored the lone goal in the second match at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex, should’ve been debarred from playing by virtue of picking up two consecutive yellow cards.

According to match reports, Holligan was booked in the first round tie versus the U.S. Virgin Islands and got a second caution in the first leg against Aruba in Oranjestad.

It is understood that the Barbados Football Association’s (BFA) secretariat was officially informed about Holligan’s ineligibility but the information wasn’t relayed to the team’s management and technical staff.

While it should’ve been common knowledge within the team that Holligan was indeed on two yellow cards, manager Adrian Donovan did not travel with the squad to Aruba.

In another twist, while no official announcement has been made, it is also understood that at a hastily convened executive meeting at the BFA's Fontabelle’s office Monday night, president Randy Harris indicated he would resign from the top post in light of the expected forfeiture of the tie.

Efforts to reach both Harris and Donovan for confirmation on the matters were futile. (EZS)