West Brom PSR allegation clouds survival bid with sanction timeline potentially stretching to season end | OneFootball

Albion’s fight for Championship safety is complicated by an alleged profit and sustainability breach that has created uncertainty over when clarity on their status will arrive, with key dates brushing up against season’s end.

According to ExpressAndStar.com, the EFL’s club financial reporting unit has issued a compliance report, and it has been claimed the dispute concerns interest payments on loans taken during the Guochuan Lai era. The date the report was received is unclear.

James Morrison’s side head to Preston sitting one place and two points above the drop after Portsmouth’s surprise win at Ipswich on Tuesday, while Blackburn were beaten. A run of three straight draws within a seven-match unbeaten sequence had underlined the need for wins.

Albion believe they have complied with regulations and will continue to work with the CFRU. PSR rules limit losses to £41.5m over a rolling three-year period, up from £39m after last year’s vote.

The club had 14 days from the report’s issue to respond. Any mitigation could include Shilen Patel’s Bilkul takeover in February 2024 arriving midway through the three-year cycle, with Albion having worked closely with the EFL on operations since.

A hearing must then take place within 28 days of the initial report. If Albion are found guilty, sanctions must apply to the following season to the breach, and the hearing window could coincide with their finale on 2 May, leaving little or no time to react on the pitch.

The Championship runs through to the play-off final on 23 May. The EFL AGM is typically held in early June, and fixture release day on 25 June is, from an administrative perspective, viewed as the end of the previous season.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com