Nathan Jones has that there should be no leniency for clubs breaking Football League rules as it could lead to “anarchy” after Derby and Reading were both slapped with points deductions this week.
The Rams, who had been handed a 12-point penalty at the start of the season for entering administration, have now been punished with a further nine after admitting breaches of EFL accounting rules.
It leaves Wayne Rooney’s team rock bottom of the Championship on minus three points, 18 from safety and staring relegation in the face. They’ve also got a further three points penalty, suspended until the end of the season, which will be imposed if they fail to comply for the rest of the campaign with the terms of an agreed budget with the EFL.
Reading then had six points chalked off their tally for breaches of the league’s profitability and sustainability rules. The Royals lost £57.8million between 2017 and 2021, which exceeds the leagues limit of £39m for that period. They’ve also been handed a deduction of a further six points, suspended until the end of the season, pending their compliance with a business plan, which includes player spending.
Sheffield Wednesday last season docked 12 points, reduced to six on appeal, for breaching profitability and sustainability rules, and that ultimately helped relegate them to League One.
The Hatters are no stranger to deductions, after a record-breaking 30 points were deducted from them before even a ball was kicked in the 2008/09 League Two season, effectively consigning them to the non-league.
But Town have got their house in order since and have rocketed back up to the Championship on the back of prudent custodians, in their 2020 board, that has allowed them to live within their means while competing in the top half of the table.
Commenting on the punishments for Derby and Reading, Luton manager Jones said: “I don’t know the ins and outs. I don’t get involved in that side, but rules are there.
“If certain teams break the rules, and try to gain an advantage by going above and beyond what they can afford, and gamble, then either it pays off or it doesn’t.
“And if it doesn’t, there’s no way leniency should be shown, because there are a number of clubs competing at a good level, a fair level, a structural level, that are working within their means, and those are doing things right.
“Anyone who steps out of the boundaries then absolutely they should be punished and punished to the letter of the law. If you don’t have that, then there can be anarchy.
“If Derby, if Reading, if anyone else, like Sheffield Wednesday, step outside the boundaries of the rules that the EFL set in place to keep a fair and competitive league, then of course sanctions should be imposed.”
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