Leicester City have today been charged by the Premier League
Leicester City may begin the upcoming Championship season with a points deduction after being accused with a potential violation of profit and sustainability guidelines over its 2023-24 budget.
The Premier League has announced that it has referred the Foxes to an independent panel, and if found guilty, they might face a points deduction. The points deduction could be implemented in the Championship after a recently closed loophole between the Premier League and the EFL.
The two governing bodies recently addressed the gap following the dismissal of a charge against Leicester. They were charged with Premier League PSR violations during the 2022-23 season, but were able to successfully defend themselves because they were a Championship team by the conclusion of the fiscal year.
Although that accusation has been rejected, the Premier League has filed a new charge after addressing the loophole. The charges allege that Leicester violated Championship profit and sustainability standards when they achieved promotion back to the Premier League in 2023-24. The top tier also claims that Leicester failed to submit its annual reports by December 31, 2024, as required by league rules, and that they failed to provide ‘full, quick, and comprehensive help’ to the league’s inquiry.
If they are deemed to have been in breach by the independent commission then Leicester will face a points deduction which can be enforced in the Championship, despite the allegation coming from the Premier League. They will fight alongside Middlesbrough in next season’s Championship after being relegated from the top division this season. The commission would be responsible for determining the punishment and, if applicable, the amount of points deducted.
According to a statement on the Leicester City club website, the club is pleased to have successfully defended the Premier League’s challenge to the Appeal Board decision in connection to the PSR evaluation period ending FY23, which was the primary focus of these proceedings.
“The tribunal also determined that the Premier League was successful in establishing jurisdiction on one of the two grounds it argued for the assessment period ending FY24, and the Premier League has now referred this to an independent Commission.
“Consistent with its earlier agreements, the Club expects to cooperate in this matter now that the Premier League’s authority has been formed for fiscal year 24. However, due to the confidential nature of these procedures, we will be unable to comment further until they are concluded.
Leicester are one of three clubs making an instant return to the Championship next season, along with Ipswich Town and Southampton. The trio were all promoted from the second division ahead of Boro last season and will now return with the added benefit of parachute payments to help them financially. However, a points deduction would undoubtedly be detrimental to Leicester.
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