Leicester say they have issued “urgent legal proceedings” against the Premier League and the EFL.
The Foxes, who sit second in the Sky Bet Championship on goal difference, were charged by the Premier League on Thursday for an alleged breach of that competition’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
The club were then placed under a transfer embargo by the EFL at 4pm on Friday afternoon in relation to its financial rules.
This afternoon, the Club has issued the following statement.
— Leicester City (@LCFC) March 22, 2024
Leicester said in a statement: “Leicester have been compelled today to issue two urgent legal proceedings against the Premier League and the EFL.
“Leicester will be seeking that each of these proceedings is determined by an appropriate and fully independent legal panel.”
The Premier League said the charge it had laid related to an alleged breach in the PSR assessment period ending 2022-23, while the EFL embargo is understood to be in relation to a March 1 submission forecasting the club’s financial results for 2023-24.
Previous Premier League PSR charges against Everton and Nottingham Forest have resulted in points deductions being imposed on those clubs.
Leicester’s statement continued: “The club are committed to ensure that any charges against us are properly and proportionately determined, in accordance with the applicable rules, by the right bodies, and at the right time.
“While Leicester would prefer the proceedings to be in public, so their supporters and the wider world can be informed about the important issues of football governance that will be considered, the relevant rules require that these proceedings are conducted confidentially, and Leicester will therefore not be able to comment further about them at this stage.
“We reaffirm the club’s position that we will continue to fight for the right of Leicester and all clubs to pursue our ambitions, particularly where these have been reasonably and fairly established through sustained sporting achievement.
“The club further note that at 4pm today the EFL issued a public notification that Leicester have been placed under a registration embargo pursuant to its P&S rules.
“The EFL is aware that Leicester have disputed the EFL’s entitlement to impose this constraint, which is both restrictive and premature, with more than a quarter of the club’s 2023-24 reporting period remaining.”
The Premier League and the EFL have been contacted for comment.
