QPR could be relegated to the Conference after the Football League confirmed that the Loftus Road side are facing stiff sanctions in line with the Financial Fair Play regulations. The club are currently on the hook for a £40m fine which owner Tony Fernandes is determined not to pay. If the fine isn’t paid the ultimate sanction is expulsion from the Football League which would mean fighting for a place in the Conference.
However, any potential relegation would only become a possibility if QPR are first relegated from the Premier League. Under FFP, clubs that overspend in the Football League face a transfer embargo and other sanctions, while clubs that are subsequently promoted to the Premier League only face a fine.
Given the scale of QPR’s spend while they were in the Championship, that fine could reach £40m. According to the Guardian, the club recorded pre-tax losses of £65.4m for the year ending May 2013. However, Tony Fernandes is determined to oppose the sanctions as he feels the club is being unfairly punished for dropping out of the Premier League in 2013.
Will we fight the fine? What do you think? After all we’ve been through, it’s my middle name – ‘Fight It’ Fernandes.
My view has been consistent, that it is very unfair for a club that has been relegated as the wage difference between the Premier League and Championship is impossible. There should be a time period for clubs to rectify their salaries. If we were in the Championship in two years with that wage bill it wouldn’t be right. I’m in favour of FFP but it is unfair for a club coming down.
However, speaking at the Soccerex conference in Manchester, Football League chief executive, Shaun Harvey said that the rules were in place and that the Football League would be waiting for QPR to drop back into their reaches if the fine isn’t paid.
Theoretically, that is the position but I would hope there would be resolution long before that option even had to be considered. The one thing for certain is that most clubs in the Premier League will become a Football League club again.
Now QPR will of course be hoping it does not happen for some considerable number of seasons but the chances they will need to return to the Football League fold at some point. Certainly, three of the 20 clubs that are in the Premier League will be in the Football League next season.
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