LEICESTER face a fight to avoid relegation to League One – after being hit by a six-point deduction by the PREMIER League.
But it could have been worse as Prem legal beaks had argued the Foxes should be deducted 12 points and fined £20million.
Leicester were charged with breaching the EFL’s profitability and sustainability rules by nearly £21m during their promotion-winning 2023-24 campaign.
And despite a fierce legal argument, questioning the Prem’s right to impose a sporting sanction at a hearing in November, the King Power club were given the points deduction that plunges them to 20th in the Championship table and only out of the drop zone on goal difference.
EFL financial deadlines meant Leicester were already a Prem club by the time the breach was confirmed in June of 2024, weeks after they had earned their passage back to the top flight.
At the time, Leicester were fighting the 2022-23 charges, with their surprise victory at an appeal hearing in September 2024 leading to a rapid rewrite of the regulations.
KEYS RETURNED
Richard Keys, 68, moving in with wife, 37 after leaving job & returning to UK
TURBO
Win a stunning VW Tiguan + £5,000 or £35,000 cash from just 12p with our code
That saw the financial rules between the Prem and EFL aligned, leading to another legal spat between the authorities and the club.
It was only in March that Leicester’s attempt to rule the Prem did not have jurisdiction to impose regulations was defeated, with charges following in May, AFTER they had already been relegated back to the Championship.
Under the agreed regulations, Leicester were allowed to make a maximum of £83m in “permitted losses” over the three-year period to last season.
Their losses were instead 103.8m and the three-man commission, headed by leading Kings Counsel James Drake, ruled in favour of the Prem position after a hearing spread over seven days.
Most read in Championship
However, the commission did not accept the Prem arguments that a deduction of 12 points plus an eight-figure fine was required to adequately punish the club.
Leicester look likely to appeal the sanction, issuing a statement noting “disappointment” at the sentence and adding: “The Club will use the time available to consider its next steps.”
The Foxes said: “While the Commission’s findings significantly reduced the unprecedented scale of the sanction originally sought by the Premier League, the recommendation remains disproportionate and does not adequately reflect the mitigating factors presented, the importance of which cannot be overstated given the potential impact on our sporting ambitions this season.
“We are now reviewing the decision in full and considering the options available to us.
“We remain committed to engaging constructively and ensuring that any action is fair, proportionate and determined through the appropriate processes.”
Leicester sacked Marti Cifuentes as manager last week and have lost their last two matches – at home to Oxford and Charlton.
They travel to Birmingham on Saturday afternoon, with caretaker boss Andy King still in charge.
Read the full article here
