Premier League preps for extra time in Leicester City showdown
The Premier League is contemplating an appeal against a tribunal decision that dismissed its disciplinary case against Leicester City FC this year.
The news comes after the Foxes successfully appealed a potential points deduction in September, leaving the Premier League “surprised and disappointed” when an independent panel ruled that the club could not be punished.
How, according to reports in The Lawyer, the Premier League is readying its legal teams for a rematch.
The Premier League initially referred Leicester City to an independent Commission in March for an alleged violation of Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules related to the assessment period ending June 30, 2023.
While the Commission originally rejected Leicester’s challenge, an independent Appeal Board subsequently overturned that decision.
Under PSR regulations, clubs are not permitted to incur losses exceeding £105m over three years.
The Premier League charged Leicester for the three years leading up to the 2022-23 season.
However, the club was relegated to the Championship at the end of that season and submitted its financial accounts only after exiting the Premier League.
In a statement in September the Club, said: “Leicester City welcomes the Appeal Board’s comprehensive decision, which supports our consistently stated position that any action against the Club should be pursued by the applicable rules.
“To avoid any misunderstandings which may arise in light of the statement which has been issued by the Premier League in response to the appeal decision, Leicester City wishes to emphasise the finding of the Appeal Panel that, when considering the wording which is used in the Premier League rules (by established principles of English law) the Club did not breach the Premier League PSRs for the assessment period ending 30 June 2023.
“In its decision, the Appeal Board (which was made of up a panel of three experienced, senior lawyers, two of whom are former Court of Appeal judges) identifies flaws in the drafting of the Premier League’s rules. In challenging the Premier League’s attempts to charge Leicester City, the Club has simply sought to ensure (in the interests of providing consistency and certainty for all clubs) that the rules are applied based on how they are actually written.”
