Leicester City Football Club, also known as The Foxes, is a professional football club based in Leicester, East Midlands of England. Among many things, they are best known for their consistent top-notch ranking in FIFA, a series of football simulation games where you can buy FIFA coins as part of the core gameplay experience.
Nevertheless, as of writing, they currently competing in the EFL Championship after being relegated from the Premier League in the 2022–23 season over financial matters related to breaching profitability and sustainability (PSR) rules during their three most recent seasons in the top flight.
And now, following a dramatic drop from the Premier League, Leicester City has taken a daring step by issuing legal proceedings against both the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL), which has further escalated their ongoing dispute over financial regulations. This bold move comes after the club found itself at odds with the actions taken by these governing bodies, particularly in light of charges levied against them for purportedly breaching financial regulations.
For those unaware, these accusations are about Leicester spending more money than allowed over the past three years when they were playing in the top league, which might lead to them losing points in future games. As you may have guessed, this situation is pretty rough for Leicester since they’ve just been moved to a lower league after not doing so well last season, despite winning a big cup two years ago and finishing in the top five twice.
The Premier League, in their defense, says Leicester didn’t submit audited financial accounts for the 2022-23 campaign. Moreover, Leicester, on the other hand, is expected to report a hefty loss when they release their accounts at the end of March. Last year alone, they reported a confirmed record loss of £92.5m in the 2021-22 season. As such, this development will significantly add to their troubles.
In a statement, Leicester clearly said they were “extremely disappointed at the timing of the charge” and also added that the club “will continue to defend itself from any unlawful acts by the football authorities, should they seek to exercise jurisdiction where they cannot do so”.
And that’s not all. In addition, Leicester also does not entertain the idea of EFL wanting to control their finances after being worried about the club’s future spending. Therefore, Leicester now wants an independent legal group to look into their complaints against the Premier League and the EFL.
In their words, “LCFC has been compelled today to issue two urgent legal proceedings against the Premier League and the EFL. LCFC will be seeking that each of these proceedings is determined by an appropriate and fully independent legal panel.
“The club is committed to ensure that any charges against it are properly and proportionately determined, in accordance with the applicable rules, by the right bodies, and at the right time.
“While LCFC would prefer the proceedings to be in public, so its supporters and the wider world can be informed about the important issues of football governance that will be considered, the relevant rules require that these proceedings are conducted confidentially, and LCFC will therefore not be able to comment further about them at this stage.
“We reaffirm the club’s position that we will continue to fight for the right of Leicester City and all clubs to pursue their ambitions, particularly where these have been reasonably and fairly established through sustained sporting achievement.”
