Sheffield United respond after being hit by shock EFL sanction over transfer payments
Due to their unpaid player transfer fees prior to their promotion to the Premier League, Sheffield United has been punished with a points reduction for their next season in the English Football League. The penalty relates to the 2022–2023 season, when the Blades’ failure to pay transfer money resulted in a transfer embargo.
The Blades will receive a two-point deduction and a two-point suspension at the beginning of the following Championship season, according to an independent disciplinary commission that was confirmed by the EFL. If United misses more than five business days in paying a transfer or compensation to another club, that punishment will be triggered. Additionally, United has agreed to pay the £310,455 in EFL fees.
The failures “cumulatively were in excess of 550 days,” according to an EFL statement. In a statement of their own, United said they were “disappointed” to see the suspension put in place and decided to work out a deal with the EFL rather than take a chance on a larger point deduction or additional embargos.
According to a statement from United, “it has been agreed that the Blades will commence the next season in which the club is subject to the EFL’s jurisdiction with a two-point deduction.” “The club argued in the proceedings that before the club was informed of the referral, the relevant amounts that the EFL had depended upon had been fully paid, often just days after they were originally due, or renegotiated with new future payment dates that were followed.
“The club has worked with the EFL to resolve the problems at hand through negotiation. Sheffield United expressed disappointment over the deduction being imposed upon their return to the EFL and acknowledged that their financial situation was impacted by unpaid balances owed to multiple clubs. However, they concluded that it was preferable to come to a mutually beneficial agreement that reduced the possibility of additional deductions or transfer embargoes, as well as the distraction of drawn-out and expensive legal proceedings.
“The club can now move on from this issue and focus on the future.”
