‘The rule is’: Journalist says there’s a slim chance Leeds are fined after EFL rule change

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There’s a small chance that Leeds United are in line for a fine after breaking a new EFL rule.

Indeed, at the EFL’s AGM on June 8^th, a new rule was implemented that meant that you couldn’t announce takeover deals had been struck until they had been approved by the EFL.

In typical Leeds fashion, the Yorkshire club went against everything the EFL had told them the night before and on June 9^th a statement was on the club website about the impending 49ers takeover subject to EFL approval.

Speaking on The Square Ball Podcast, Phil Hay spoke about this, and while he says that it’s unlikely that Leeds will be punished due to the timing of this announcement, it is a small possibility.

Leeds could be punished

Hay shared what he knows about this rule change.

“Yeah, from this point clubs can talk about it even less. You will remember that on June 9^th when the deal was announced it was a short statement on the website, it seemed reasonable to say to the fans that this was where they were at. It didn’t get much attention this as there are always rule changes in the EFL every summer, and one rule that was introduced this summer, and I don’t think Leeds will fall foul of this because I think their announcement was before this was agreed,” Hay said.

“The AGM was on the 8^th and the announcement was on the 9^th,” Hay was informed.

“Whether or not it had been imposed, I’m not sure Leeds will be punished or fined for this because of the timeframe, but I might be wrong. The rule is that you can’t announce the sale of a club to another party until it has been formally approved by the EFL, which means you can’t say it has been struck in principle subject to EFL approval.”

Strange

This is a really strange one for everyone involved.

In our view, the rule doesn’t really make sense in the first place, but that’s a story for another day.

However, you have to question why Leeds would make such an announcement less than 24 hours after being told about these new rules? It just defies logic.

Of course, this is Leeds United we’re talking about, so it’s not really much of a surprise to see them doing things slightly differently.

This could just be something of nothing, but it may be a situation to keep half an eye on.