Leicester City say they have issued legal proceedings against the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) amid the club’s alleged breach of profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
The Championship side have also been placed under a player registration embargo by the EFL following the latest developments of the alleged PSR breach. They say this is “both restrictive and premature, with more than a quarter of the club’s 2023-24 reporting period remaining”.
“Leicester City Football Club has been compelled today to issue two urgent legal proceedings against the Premier League and the EFL,” a club statement read on Friday. “LCFC will be seeking that each of these proceedings is determined by an appropriate and fully independent legal panel.
“The club is committed to ensure that any charges against it are properly and proportionately determined, in accordance with the applicable rules, by the right bodies, and at the right time.
“While LCFC would prefer the proceedings to be in public, so its 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 LCFC 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 City and all clubs to pursue their ambitions, particularly where these have been reasonably and fairly established through sustained sporting achievement.”
The Premier League and the EFL have been contacted for comment.
Enzo Maresca’s Leicester are second in the Championship (Warren Little/Getty Images)
Leicester were referred to an independent commission by the Premier League for an alleged breach of PSR rules on Thursday.
Leicester’s statement following that news said the club would continue “to take careful advice about its position and, if necessary, will continue to defend itself from any unlawful acts by the football authorities, should they seek to exercise jurisdiction where they cannot do so, as occurred earlier this year”. That followed the EFL’s request to Leicester to submit a business plan to demonstrate how they would comply with the spending limits, after the club were predicted to be on course to exceed their PSR threshold in November. However, an independent panel ruled the club did not have to submit a business plan, which would have led to sales in the January window.
The Premier League also referred Leicester for “failing to submit their audited financial accounts” to the league.
The alleged PSR breach pertains to the three-year reporting period ending in the 2022-23 season, during which Leicester was relegated from the top after nine consecutive seasons.
The club had said that they were “extremely disappointed” at the decision, adding that they have “repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to the P&S rules through its operating model over a considerable period”.
Leicester also said they “will continue to fight for the right of all clubs to pursue their ambitions, particularly where these have been reasonably and fairly established through sustained sporting achievement”.
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
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