Sheffield United will be deducted two points at the start of their next season in the English Football League.
The club are bottom of the Premier League, nine points from safety with seven games left to play, and are on course for an immediate return to the Sky Bet Championship, meaning they would begin next season with the deduction in place.
The sanction relates to last season, when United defaulted on a number of payments on their way to automatic promotion from the Championship to the Premier League. An additional two-point deduction has been suspended and will only be imposed if the club defaults on further payments.
An EFL statement read: “An independent disciplinary commission (IDC) has determined that Sheffield United are to be deducted two points at the start of the next season the club is in the EFL’s jurisdiction, with a further two points suspended until the end of that same season.
“The sanction relates to the 2022-23 season, when the club defaulted on a number of payments to other clubs. These defaults cumulatively were in excess of 550 days.
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“The suspended points deduction will be activated if the club defaults on any payment due to another club under a transfer or compensation agreement for more than five business days from the due date for payment. The club has agreed to pay the EFL’s costs in the sum of £310,455.”
• Everton docked two more points, taking total deduction to eight points
A Sheffield United statement said that the club had co-operated with the EFL to reach a settlement, adding: “The club’s position in the proceedings was that the relevant sums relied on by the EFL had been paid in full, on several occasions only days after they were initially due, or renegotiated with new future payment dates adhered to before the club was notified of the referral.
“While disappointed to have the deduction imposed upon the return to the EFL and highlighting that awaiting overdue monies from several other clubs affected Sheffield United’s financial situation, the club took the view that it was better to reach an agreement which minimised the risks of a higher deduction or further transfer embargoes being imposed, and being distracted by lengthy and costly legal proceedings. The club is now in a position to close this matter and concentrate on the future.”
United are the third Premier League side this season to receive a points deduction. Everton have received two deductions, totalling eight points, and Nottingham Forest have been docked four points, both for breaches of Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
