April 7 – Ten clubs from the English Football League Championship placed under a transfer embargo last month are arguing that the English Football League (EFL) rules have not taken into account new government rules on company filings and that they are being unlawfully restricted.
In the UK, government guidelines (introduced to take account of covid pandemic disruption) allow companies to extend the deadline to file their accounts by three months, but that policy has not been adopted by the EFL and as a result some clubs have breached the EFL’s February deadline.
Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Cardiff City, Coventry City, Derby County, Huddersfield Town, Luton Town, Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City are the clubs who the EFL has slapped transfer embargos on.
“It’s ridiculous that the EFL’s regulations on this do not replicate this approach that the Government has taken, especially when they have amended other rules of their during the pandemic,” said Coventry City chief executive Dave Boddy.
The club criticised the EFL for not updating their regulations.
Luton Town wrote: “Our first embargo for a decade is simply an anomaly brought about by an unsynchronised timing of financial reports due to the pandemic.”
“The Club’s 2019/20 accounts, whilst finalised, have yet to be signed off by our auditors which will be done well before the statutory deadline.”
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1714077154labto1714077154ofdlr1714077154owedi1714077154sni@o1714077154fni1714077154