Queen’s
Park Rangers could effectively be thrown out of football over the next
few years if they fail to pay an anticipated huge fine for breaking
Football League financial fair play rules.
That
startling prospect was raised on Tuesday by the League’s chief
executive, Shaun Harvey, as he outlined ‘nuclear option’ possibilities
of what could happen if QPR refuse to pay.
‘Theoretically,
that is the position,’ Harvey said. ‘I would hope there would be
resolution long before that option even had to be considered.’
Under
Football League rules introduced in 2012 to encourage financial
stability, clubs who make huge losses as they attempt to win promotion
to the Premier League face a range of punishments.
If
they overspend but don’t go up, they face transfer embargoes. If they
overspend and do go up - as QPR overspent and went up last season - then
they face huge fines.
The tariff
system of fines is hugely complex but in the simplest terms, QPR face a
fine of £1 for every £1 over £18 million that they lost in the 2013-14
season.
QPR’s
losses for 2013-14 are not yet known. They lost £65.4m in 2012-13 and
it is anticipated the figure will be around £60m in 2013-14, which could
mean a fine of around £40m. They must let the League know the exact
figure by 1 December.
QPR’s owner Tony Fernandes has said he will contest any fine, and perhaps even take legal action to try to avoid paying it.
The tariff
system of fines is hugely complex but in the simplest terms, QPR face a
fine of £1 for every £1 over £18 million that they lost in the 2013-14
season.
QPR’s
losses for 2013-14 are not yet known. They lost £65.4m in 2012-13 and
it is anticipated the figure will be around £60m in 2013-14, which could
mean a fine of around £40m. They must let the League know the exact
figure by 1 December.
QPR’s owner Tony Fernandes has said he will contest any fine, and perhaps even take legal action to try to avoid paying it.
Harvey, speaking to Sportsmail today
at the Soccerex conference in Manchester, said he expects clubs to pay,
and that sanctions up to and including not being allowed to play in the
Football League would be applicable for non-payment.
QPR
would not need to worry about this as long as they stayed in the
Premier League. But as and when they were relegated at any stage in the
future, whether that is next May, or next year or in a few years, they
would face effective expulsion from league football because the League
would not let them in.
‘Theoretically,
that is the position,’ Harvey said. ‘I would hope there would be
resolution long before that option even had to be considered. The one
thing for certain is that most clubs [in the Premier League] will become
a Football League club again.
‘Now
QPR will of course be hoping it does not happen for some considerable
number of seasons. But the chances they will need to return to the
Football League fold at some point in the future. Certainly, three of
the current 20 clubs that are in the Premier League will be in the
Football League next season.’
Harvey
hopes that any clubs needing to pay their fines will do so, QPR
included. He also hopes that if they initially refuse, then football
arbitration will be possible ahead of harsher action.
‘Football
has a number of processes to try to keep its debates out of court and
inside a tribunal system or arbitration system under the FA’s guise,’
Harvey said.
‘Ultimately,
I believe the FA would have a part to play in terms of determining the
outcome between a club and a league in which they are not currently
playing.’
Originally
the Football League wanted to take any fines levied on rule-breaking
clubs and share them between clubs who stayed within the rules. The
Premier League objected to that so now any fines will be given to
charity.
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