Legal route taken in spending row
DEFIANT Leicester City have declared war on the Premier League and EFL after being charged with breaking spending rules.
The Foxes announced on Friday that they are launching “urgent legal proceedings” against both organisations.
Leicester, who were relegated to the Championship last season, learned on Thursday that they are being referred to an independent commission for breaching profit and sustainability rules (PSR) during their final three years in the Premier League.
The EFL then placed the Foxes under a transfer embargo for an alleged breach of PSR in the current season.
Top-flight clubs are permitted to lose £105m over a rolling three-year period. In the event of relegation, this figure falls to £83m. Leicester lost a club-record £92.5m in the 12 months up to May 2022, and £33.1m a year earlier. Last season’s losses are not yet public knowledge.
Everton (six) and Nottingham Forest (four) have both been docked points for breaches of PSR this season and if Leicester are found guilty then they would face similar sanctions. However, any such punishment would come into effect next season, and could be administered by the EFL if the Foxes - who are currently second - fail to win promotion.
Unlawful
The basis of Leicester’s legal challenge is not known, but it is thought they will argue that the Premier League has no right to sanction an EFL club.
An initial statement, released on Thursday, said the club would defend itself against “any unlawful acts by the football authorities, should they seek to exercise jurisdiction where they cannot do so”.
A second statement, released on Friday, said: “LCFC has been compelled today to issue two urgent legal proceedings against the Premier
League and the EFL. LCFC will be seeking that each of these proceedings is determined by an appropriate and fully independent legal panel.
“The club is committed to ensure that any charges against it are properly and proportionately determined, in accordance with the applicable rules, by the right bodies, and at the right time.
“While LCFC would prefer the proceedings to be in public, so its supporters and the wider world can be informed about the important issues of football governance that will be considered, the relevant rules require that these proceedings are conducted confidentially, and LCFC will therefore not be able to comment further about them at this stage.
“We reaffirm the club’s position tha
