Leicester City’s relegation fears have increased after they lost an appeal against a six-point deduction for breaching financial rules — but the Premier League also failed in a bid to have an extra point deducted for non-co-operation.
The sanction was imposed in February for Leicester breaching the English Football League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules. The case, however, was brought by the Premier League when they were in the top flight last season, and the points deduction was enforced this season in the Championship.
Confirmation of the six-point sanction means that Leicester remain in the relegation zone, 22nd in the table, a point behind Portsmouth, who also have a game in hand. There are five games remaining this season.
Gary Rowett has overseen only one win since his appointment on February 18Leicester City FC/Getty
Leicester and the Premier League lodged appeals against the original sanction. The league claimed the club’s failure to provide financial accounts for the 2023-24 season when requested should be treated as an aggravating factor, leading to at least one additional point being deducted.
An appeal board has now dismissed both of the claims against the original regulatory commission’s ruling.
The board’s judgment on the Premier League’s appeal for non-disclosure of the accounts states: “We consider that the commission were entitled to treat the non-disclosure breach as aggravating the PSR breaches, rather than imposing a separate sanction for it.
“Indeed, we consider that was the better course, given that the failure to disclose appears to have been associated with the PSR breaches, and effectively part of the same (mis)conduct.”
Supporters have expressed their anger at the club’s owners during protests this seasonLee Keuneke/PA
Leicester had appealed against the decision on a number of grounds, including the power of the commission to recommend the points deduction, as well as the level of the sanction. These were dismissed by the appeal board.
The club claimed they had been “exceptionally co-operative” with the Premier League investigation, but the original commission said the club “manifestly refused to co-operate by not providing its accounts”.
The appeal board was made up of three senior legal figures — the Rt Hon Lord Dyson, who chaired the panel, the Rt Hon Sir Gary Hickinbottom and Daniel Alexander KC.