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QPR Settle EFL Dispute – So Where Does That Leave Us Now & Were We Right To Challenge

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In my own humble, the writing was always on the wall for us.

Financial Fair Play across Europe is led by the home associations and member clubs had the final vote. Had they voted against the proposals – as some clubs did, but not enough – they wouldn’t have been enacted. So whilst there may have been a competition aspect in law, it always felt like a shot in the dark. This wasn’t imposed by the authorities arbitrarily – member clubs helped shape it to varying degrees and unfortunately, more clubs saw the sense in it than didn’t. My own personal opinion is whilst protecting the future of clubs is 100% right, this current framework is absolute nonsense.

The writing was further on the wall as successive clubs – from memory Hull City, Leicester City etc – who had FFP issues of their own, all settled quickly following the initial arbitration panel decision against us.

We kept arguing with the appeal as in many ways we’d already backed ourselves into a corner – nobody else saw the appeal of appealing so gained the best settlement they could get for them.

Even from a moral perspective, clubs closing their complaints counted against us and strengthened the EFL’s position – and finally, sensibly, we took this out of the law and did the deal with some benefits to ourselves for doing that – instead of simply losing again.

The EFL have said all the right words in response to us effectively folding and that’s represented in the punishment.

“The outcome vindicates the approach of the EFL Board in defending the challenge to our Rules. In agreeing to the settlement above, the Board was conscious that the financial burden placed on the Club had to be manageable, so as not to put its future in doubt when considering that after this season the Club will no longer benefit from the promotion that was the catalyst for the dispute in the first place. QPR remain a valued member of the EFL and a great community asset. We look forward to continuing our productive working relationship with them for many seasons to come and are delighted to bring this long-running dispute to a conclusion.”

Our ill-judged appeal is a massive win for the EFL now. This is the precedent on anything that may follow. And we have to remember these were under the 2012 regulations, not the regulations that have now come into force which can also inflict points deductions on sides for breaches and even the denial of promotion. Our challenge has led the EFL to strike a deal with the Premier League whereby they will enforce and back up decisions made – there is no escape to the top-flight anymore Scot Free as the phrase goes.

It could be said QPR’s decision to challenge in the manner we did has actually given FFP a life and existence of its own that may now bite the very clubs who supported it…but that’s their problem.

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