Reading have been deducted six points by the English Football League for breaching financial rules.
The EFL determined the Royals lost £57.8m between 2017 and 2021 - the EFL's limit for that period is £39m.
The club have a further six-point deduction suspended until the end of next season, provided they comply with a business plan.
It sees Reading drop from 16th to 19th in the Championship, on 16 points, four clear of the relegation places.
The Berkshire club have been under a transfer embargo since the summer as a result of their breach of profit and sustainability rules.
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I spend a lot of time in Reading, not withstanding Pearl River takeaway i've never seen an east Asian person in the city.
Reading have been charged with failing to pay their players on time and in full on three occasions last season by the English Football League.
The charges relate to October, November and April's wage bills.
Reading's owner, Yongge Dai, has also been charged with causing the club to be in breach of EFL regulations.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65929124
After that shambles the rules were changed so that if you went into admin in the early part of the season the penalty was immediate but after a cut-off date (maybe the old transfer deadline day of last Thursday in March? The theory being that promotion and relegation wouldn't be settled by that point) the penalty was held in suspension until the end of the season: if you stayed up the points were deducted that season and if it meant you then dropped into the relegation zone, tough titties; if you managed to go down under your own steam the points deduction was carried over to the following season.
I've no idea what the current rules and regs are although one suspects that the Football League are "agile" and make it up as they go along depending on whether the naughty club is a big one, a favourite of theirs or one they couldn't give a stuff about.
The only issue could be that a team gets moved down to a playoff spot then gets promoted anyway, but it would still be better that arbitrarily deciding one year or the next depending on whether it’s Sheffield Wednesday or Rochdale.
Reading have been served a winding-up petition by His Majesty's Revenue & Customs over unpaid tax bills, as the crisis at the club deepens.
The financially troubled League One club is already facing a string of charges handed down by the English Football League.
Last week the EFL added failing to pay taxes to its list of regulations the club has failed to comply with.
Reading were also charged with failure to pay players on time last season.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66031836
Now the RFU have forced London Irish into administration and Brentford have lost an important source of revenue.
Reading FC: The rise and fall of a club and its elusive owner
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66291076Shame they snuck that one in during the gap between the embargoes!
We need to be promoted, full stop.
Dunno seems a bit dodgy, they should be getting a hefty points deduction for this
Amazed it took this long really. Had Charlton been in this sort of situation then I trust our fanbase to have gone f****** mental by now, let alone just standing in the car park.
Ridiculous situation that an embargo is lifted and then reimposed so quickly but that's dodgy owners for you.