Leicester’s fall from champions to crisis after six-point deduction | OneFootball

Leicester are fighting to avoid relegation after a six-point deduction dropped them to the brink, kept up only on goal difference after one point in four.

According to BBC UK, the punishment followed a £20.8m Profit and Sustainability breach linked to Championship spending, with Blackburn on 2 May as their status hangs in the balance.

The 2016 triumph was followed by the FA Cup in 2021 and European runs, but belief in top-eight status preceded relegation in 2023.

Leicester spent just over £100m on six signings across 2021-22 and 2022-23, their wage bill swelling to £206m. Kieran Maguire said contracts became complacent, with relegation wage cuts reportedly absent.

Salaries hit 116% of income in 2022-23, then 102% in 2023-24. A £107m Championship wage bill was unprecedented, versus £84m Leeds, £80m Southampton and a £29m median.

They won the Championship in 2024, then dropped straight back down last season, 13 points adrift. An earlier PSR case fell on jurisdiction, but this breach has brought points.

Owners King Power insist the club did nothing wrong and call the sanction disproportionate, though the commission rejected claims of exceptional co-operation. One proposed sanction would have been a 12-point deduction.

Supporters’ groups urge the club not to appeal and to focus on survival. Marti Cifuentes was sacked after six months and there is no permanent chief executive or technical director.

Leicester have played the third tier only once, winning promotion 17 years ago, and could face that prospect again as the 10-year title anniversary arrives.

Source: BBC UK