West Brom Face Potential Points Deduction

This gains ever more importance with each passing matchday 

Given that the bookies have suspended relegation betting odds there must be a fair chance of a points deduction happening this season then,

MartinCAFC said:

Given that the bookies have suspended relegation betting odds there must be a fair chance of a points deduction happening this season then,

If they’ve breached the rules then it has to be this season. I can’t see Leicester and Hull being too happy otherwise. Any team relegated instead would be going after the EFL surely. 

paulsturgess said:

MartinCAFC said:

Given that the bookies have suspended relegation betting odds there must be a fair chance of a points deduction happening this season then,

Have they?! You can still bet on this … paddy power we currently 14/1 to go down

You can still get 20-1 on the Betfair Exchange 

Bookies have stopped all relegation bets as of saturday for teams below the Prem - so I guess we are all being wishful 

I still don't see how this gets sorted this season.

WBA are going to appeal any decision that fucks them over and that could take weeks (Leicester's took just over 2 months to get a verdict) so it would have to be seriously fast-tracked.

bobmunro said:

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

I still don't see how this gets sorted this season.

WBA are going to appeal any decision that fucks them over and that could take weeks (Leicester's took just over 2 months to get a verdict) so it would have to be seriously fast-tracked.

The EFL are fucked but their line of least resistance is to apply any deduction to West Brom this season with the appeal fast tracked to be heard before the season ends. If they choose to delay any points deduction to next season then Leicester would sue their arses off.

Welcome to the Championship.

A division where a team facing relegation because of a points deduction might now stay up because of another teams points deduction.

If West Brom went down now on the back of a points deduction I would expect them to bounce back at the first attempt. If they prolonged the process by appealing I would guess the relegation would still happen anyway but they’d be weeks away from preparing for next season. If it had to take a wild guess I’d say the decision whether to deduct points this season or next is whether it actually will make a difference to them being relegated or not - ie if the points deduction isn’t enough to send them down then it will apply next season instead.

FWIW posting some of the text from an article in the Guardian:-

'West Brom could be given a points deduction that relegates them from the Championship after the season has finished as the club contest charges of breaching the English Football League’s profit and sustainability (P&S) rules.

With the Championship league season concluding on 2 May the EFL is running out of time to hear the charges against West Brom, which relate to an alleged breach of the £39m loss limit in the three-year period culminating in the 2024-25 season. 

EFL sanctioning guidelines state that any punishment for a P&S breach must be applied in the campaign after it took place, which in West Brom’s case means this season, but the rulebook does not give a definitive cutoff point so it is unclear when the season ends.

The situation is complicated by the fact that West Brom are in the middle of a Championship relegation battle, with James Morrison’s side two points clear of third-bottom Oxford United with four games remaining, so even a small points deduction could send them down to League One. As well as the final round of league games there are alternative interpretations of when the season finishes, such as the Championship playoff final on 23 May or even the publication of next season’s fixtures on 25 June, with the latter date having a significant historical precedent which could give the EFL leeway to conclude the case.'

WrightCharlie said:

FWIW posting some of the text from an article in the Guardian:-

'West Brom could be given a points deduction that relegates them from the Championship after the season has finished as the club contest charges of breaching the English Football League’s profit and sustainability (P&S) rules.

With the Championship league season concluding on 2 May the EFL is running out of time to hear the charges against West Brom, which relate to an alleged breach of the £39m loss limit in the three-year period culminating in the 2024-25 season. 

EFL sanctioning guidelines state that any punishment for a P&S breach must be applied in the campaign after it took place, which in West Brom’s case means this season, but the rulebook does not give a definitive cutoff point so it is unclear when the season ends.

The situation is complicated by the fact that West Brom are in the middle of a Championship relegation battle, with James Morrison’s side two points clear of third-bottom Oxford United with four games remaining, so even a small points deduction could send them down to League One. As well as the final round of league games there are alternative interpretations of when the season finishes, such as the Championship playoff final on 23 May or even the publication of next season’s fixtures on 25 June, with the latter date having a significant historical precedent which could give the EFL leeway to conclude the case.'

This board currently split 50/50 between those of us that are delighting in the fact that other teams financial impropriety may result in them being relegated instead of us, and those who advocate similar financial impropriety on our part (i.e. actually buying good players) to avoid a future relegation if we *do* manage to stay up.

paulsturgess said:

MartinCAFC said:

Given that the bookies have suspended relegation betting odds there must be a fair chance of a points deduction happening this season then,

Have they?! You can still bet on this … paddy power we currently 14/1 to go down

I got 16/1. Have won feck all this season so hoping the trend continues. 

NabySarr said:

bobmunro said:

WrightCharlie said:

FWIW posting some of the text from an article in the Guardian:-

'West Brom could be given a points deduction that relegates them from the Championship after the season has finished as the club contest charges of breaching the English Football League’s profit and sustainability (P&S) rules.

With the Championship league season concluding on 2 May the EFL is running out of time to hear the charges against West Brom, which relate to an alleged breach of the £39m loss limit in the three-year period culminating in the 2024-25 season. 

EFL sanctioning guidelines state that any punishment for a P&S breach must be applied in the campaign after it took place, which in West Brom’s case means this season, but the rulebook does not give a definitive cutoff point so it is unclear when the season ends.

The situation is complicated by the fact that West Brom are in the middle of a Championship relegation battle, with James Morrison’s side two points clear of third-bottom Oxford United with four games remaining, so even a small points deduction could send them down to League One. As well as the final round of league games there are alternative interpretations of when the season finishes, such as the Championship playoff final on 23 May or even the publication of next season’s fixtures on 25 June, with the latter date having a significant historical precedent which could give the EFL leeway to conclude the case.'

It's complicated timewise primarily because West Brom were 3 months late publishing their 20245/25 accounts.

They will get a points deduction this season.

They weren’t late. They sent them in the EFL by the end of 2025 as required. They published them publicly in March as most businesses and football clubs do (including us) 

My misunderstanding.