Ally McCoist reacts to 'absolutely unbelievable' West Brom points deduction news | OneFootball

The Scottish forward turned pundit has issued his view on Albion's potential upcoming punishment...

The Championship relegation battle took another twist on Monday as news emerged of West Brom being handed a charge by the EFL over a potential breach of their financial rules.

As per John Percy of The Telegraph, the Baggies were notified of the ruling and are pushing for any possible sanction to come in the 2026-27 season, despite the EFL's guidelines saying that any punishments must come in the following season that the charges relate to.

After West Brom's 2024-25 financial accounts were submitted, of which they registered a £17 million loss, it meant that the West Midlands outfit had totalled a rolling three-year loss of £59.3 million, albeit it is not truly known how much of that contributes towards profit & sustainability rules, which state that clubs cannot lose more than £39 million over a three-year period.

Ally McCoist issues verdict on potential West Brom points deduction

Despite West Brom stating they have fully complied with P&S rules, they have felt it is 'not appropriate' to comment on the situation any further, leaving fans in an obvious state of worry with some huge games to come.

Preston North End are first up at Deepdale this coming weekend, but with Portsmouth facing Ipswich Town on Tuesday night, as well as Blackburn taking on Southampton, there could be early ramifications for the relegation battle for Albion - even without the potential points deduction to think about.

Dale Johnson of the BBC has claimed that Albion face a points deduction of two or three points if found guilty of their breaches, but complications of the length of time it may take means a decision may only come after the close of play of the regular Championship season on May 2.

One prominent footballing pundit who cannot believe the news has broken at such a time in the season is the popular Scotsman Ally McCoist, who has weighed in on the debacle.

"It's amazing," a bewildered McCoist said live on talkSPORT - via BirminghamLive.

"It's an absolutely unbelievable scenario to be in at this moment in time."

West Brom must do all they can to delay potential Championship punishment

On paper, West Brom have somewhat of a favourable set of fixtures heading into the home straight - Preston North End and Watford have been inconsistent in recent months, Sheffield Wednesday have struggled all season, but Ipswich Town away will be tough.

Compared to their rivals at the bottom though, Albion may have enough to survive without a points deduction coming their way late in the day, but if that sanction were to be applied, it would leave them in the relegation zone at the time of writing, no matter if it was a two or three-point sanction.

The Championship is unpredictable as it happens anyway, but a punishment this season will be far more detrimental than 2026-27 if they stay up, and the hierarchy at The Hawthorns should be pushing for that eventuality.

It can be argued that it's far too late in the day to be handing out points deductions now, but the EFL have rules and guidelines to follow - but it's not going to be the end of the story by a long shot, and whatever the outcome, at least one club will be left unhappy by it.