Leicester City won their appeal against a decision that could have resulted in a points deduction similar to punishments dealt to rivals last season
Jeff Stelling has suggested Leicester City’s Premier League and Championship rivals should feel aggrieved over the club’s successful appeal for an alleged breach of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
The Foxes arrived back to the top-flight this summer with dark clouds hanging overheard regarding a potential points deduction. But now an independent panel ruled in the club’s favour, finding that the accounting period during which they allegedly exceeded the maximum permitted £105million loss over a three-season period ended before they were relegated from the top flight and ceased to be a Premier League club.
A statement from the Premier League said they were “surprised and disappointed,” whilst City’s own reflection stated they “simply sought to ensure that the rules are applied based on how they are actually written.”
Reacting to the news, talkSPORT host Stelling said: “Leicester City winning their appeal effectively over an alleged breach of profitability and sustainability rules. The decision by the appeal board all but ends the prospect of them being given a points deduction this season.
“I wonder how – and I’m not saying it is the same situation – but I wonder how fans of Nottingham Forest for example or Leeds United or Everton are going to feel about this?”
At the expense of City it was Nottingham Forest and Everton who maintained their Premier League status at the end of the 2022/23 campaign by a marginal points difference. However, as both clubs remained in the division they were fully subjected to points deductions.
Everton were found to have made two separate infringements in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, resulting in the docking of 10 points – later reduced to six upon appeal – and a further two, which were not appealed. Meanwhile Forest were deducted four points for their 2022/23 breach, and lost their appeal.
On a different note, the Foxes gained automatic promotion back to the Premier League last term, in part at Leeds United’s expense. When they also failed to win the Championship play-offs they were forced to undergo a fire sale, losing academy graduate Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur to recoup a £40m figure and avoid falling foul of PSR regulations.
Stelling blasted: “Whoever thought it was a good idea teams would have to sell their home grown players so they could get the full value of the transfer fee to balance the books over PSR, who thought that was a good idea?!”
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