[Football] QPR Ruling

El Presidente said:

Sorry missed the thread!

The Doomsday scenario posted by QPR fans is a smokescreen. QPR's owners are worth an estimated £16 billion between them, so paying a £50m+ fine is easily affordable to them.

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Thanks Pres. Would this be allowed under FFP rules, to pay a fine out of the owners pocket? If so, then I suppose owners could just go on a spending spree, accepting that they'll be looking at a big additional outlay once the fines catch up with them? Appreciate it's a different ruleset now, but nevertheless...

I read that article and I feel sorry for QPR fans. I think he makes some reasonable points in the article but also his arguments are based around the fact that he thinks FFP is to save clubs from themselves. He says that it’ not to stop financial doping and stop Chelsea, Man City, PSG making a mockery. But actually I thought FFP was specifically set up to try and stop those clubs. It was brought in in a high profile way by UEFA. No disrespect but I don’t think Bournemouth, Leicester, Forest and Blackburn were on their radar, and actually specifically Chelsea, PSG, Man City were the intended targets.
Obviously it has had an impact on clubs lower down, but the author of the article describes “little middle of the road clubs, trying to better themselves”. At the same he explains he does understand the QPR breached the rules. He outlines those middle of the road clubs trying to better themselves as Leicester, Bournemouth, Blackburn, QPR, Forest. All of these teams were breaking the FFP rules when we were in the same division as us, and when Brighton repeatedly said that we wouldn’t spend massive money because we were aiming to do things within FFP. So all those middle of the road teams had a competitive edge over us because they broke the rules and we refused to. Those clubs annoyed me at the time and it still annoys me. We paid our money week in week out to watch football in a league that was being rigged by those who had the money to get away with it, and I am pleased that there are now consequences for some of those sides (still bitter with Bournemouth and Leicester).
Having said that, I don’t want to see a club go out of business because of it. That isn’t proportionate. But as Gwlan suggested, relegations would be a very proportionate punishment.

FatSuperman said:

Thanks Pres. Would this be allowed under FFP rules, to pay a fine out of the owners pocket? If so, then I suppose owners could just go on a spending spree, accepting that they'll be looking at a big additional outlay once the fines catch up with them? Appreciate it's a different ruleset now, but nevertheless...

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Owners with more money than they can spend - yes, fining QPR is a problem. Definitely some relegations would be a far more effective punishment; put them into the National League, or even National League South. Their presence would benefit the small clubs down there, and they could, of course, if they were wiling to knuckle down and work hard, get back up again. Glasgow Rangers did - and they're a far bigger club than plucky little QPR.

FatSuperman said:

Thanks Pres. Would this be allowed under FFP rules, to pay a fine out of the owners pocket? If so, then I suppose owners could just go on a spending spree, accepting that they'll be looking at a big additional outlay once the fines catch up with them? Appreciate it's a different ruleset now, but nevertheless...

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There has been a change to the FFP rules. Previously clubs submitted their accounts after the end of the season, so QPR (and Leicester, whose amazing achievement in winning the Premier League was on the back of some very creative sponsorship/commercial deals whilst in the Championship) were able to employ their unusual practices, safe in the knowledge that the EFL would not scrutinise the figures until November/December, when the horse had already bolted.

The revision to the rule (as I understand it) is that clubs must now submit interim accounts during the season itself, which must be submitted to the EFL by 31 March. This allows the authorities to identify and rule on any perceived breaches of FFP during the season, and apply sanctions, including points deductions.

This IMO is a step in the right direction, and acts as a disincentive to those clubs who are thinking of playing hard and loose with the rules.

The club could still put in a legal challenge (QPR are still planning to appeal the ruling for last week for example) which might prevent the EFL applying a points deduction and if the club was then promoted it could be too late.

It's a shame that the Premier League doesn't allow EFL sanctions to be applied once the club has been promoted. A 10 point fine in the PL for a club in breach of FFP rules in the Championship would be a huge disincentive. Imagine if it had happened to a small club such as Crystal Palace had they breached the rules, who would find themselves at the start of November with minus six points in the Premier League.

El Presidente said:

There has been a change to the FFP rules. Previously clubs submitted their accounts after the end of the season, so QPR (and Leicester, whose amazing achievement in winning the Premier League was on the back of some very creative sponsorship/commercial deals whilst in the Championship) were able to employ their unusual practices, safe in the knowledge that the EFL would not scrutinise the figures until November/December, when the horse had already bolted.
A
The revision to the rule (as I understand it) is that clubs must now submit interim accounts during the season itself, which must be submitted to the EFL by 31 March. This allows the authorities to identify and rule on any perceived breaches of FFP during the season, and apply sanctions, including points deductions.

This IMO is a step in the right direction, and acts as a disincentive to those clubs who are thinking of playing hard and loose with the rules.

The club could still put in a legal challenge (QPR are still planning to appeal the ruling for last week for example) which might prevent the EFL applying a points deduction and if the club was then promoted it could be too late.

It's a shame that the Premier League doesn't allow EFL sanctions to be applied once the club has been promoted. A 10 point fine in the PL for a club in breach of FFP rules in the Championship would be a huge disincentive. Imagine if it had happened to a small club such as Crystal Palace had they breached the rules, who would find themselves at the start of November with minus six points in the Premier League.

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Well played, I like what you did there.