Leicester could face Prem points deduction NEXT season but loophole means financial issue will NOT affect promotion bid
LEICESTER are facing questions from rivals about TWO potential breaches of financial rules.
Clubs in both the Premier League and Championship suspect the Foxes broke the top flight’s £105million limit on losses for the three years that ended last term (an average of £35m per Prem season).
They also believe Leicester will exceed the £83m of combined losses they can make over the three years ending with the current campaign, with the EFL allowing only £13m losses per season.
But boss Enzo Maresca could lead them back to the Prem before any breaches are punished.
There is growing frustration that it remains unclear which league is responsible for checking a club’s finances for the season when they are relegated from, or promoted to, the top flight.
And the delay in resolving cases allows clubs to escape immediate penalty for gaining an unfair advantage.
If any of last season’s relegated clubs — Leicester, Southampton and Leeds — broke rules in 2022-23, they could be promoted back to the Prem before a case was brought.
But because of the Premier League’s revamped process, Everton and Nottingham Forest are facing punishment in the coming weeks for their alleged breaches in the same term.
Both clubs had to submit their 2022-23 figures early, on December 31, as they had indicated last March that they would be close to the maximum permitted losses.
It seems likely Leicester were in the same position — but relegation meant they did not have to reveal their numbers.
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But if the Foxes gain promotion, they will be back in the Prem before either the EFL or Premier League has the chance to deal with any rule breach.
Leicester posted losses of at least £141.75m over three previous seasons, not including the last.
Forest WERE brought to book by the League after promotion but that is no consolation to the clubs — including Leicester — who went down last season before they could face scrutiny.
Leicester declined to comment, while the Prem and EFL said they were unable to talk about individual clubs.