Leeds United has received warnings regarding the necessity of moving up from the Championship in order to escape the Financial Fair Play rules’ wrath.
If Leeds United doesn’t win promotion this year, former goalkeeper Paul Robinson thinks the club might be in a “worrying” situation where punishment is a possibility.
With £189.7 million in income, the Whites’ 2022–2023 financial accounts showed the biggest revenues in the club’s history. However, they ultimately lost £33.7 million as a result of their relegation from the Premier League.
As things stand, Leeds is on the verge of promotion in the crucial final week of the campaign because they were able to hold onto some of their best players going into the current campaign. To guarantee second place, they must defeat Southampton on Saturday and hope that Ipswich Town makes a mistake. At the very least, they will need the
However, Robinson revealed his fear of a points-based punishment in the second tier should his ex-employers fail to make it out of the division in an interview with Football Insider’s The Inside Track podcast. Robinson was responding to the podcast on the heels of their claim that Leeds have outstanding payments of £73.6m for past transfers to complete before June 30.
“Leeds United are a huge football club, with the fanbase and the revenue they turn over, not just in this country but globally,” he explained. “They are bigger than a lot of the teams in the Premier League now.
“There is another question about the stadium. Elland Road has been in need for repair for a long time. They are talking about whether they are going to redevelop the ground.
“But if the money isn’t there to generate revenue, look at Everton, the new stadium they’ve got, they’ve gone to try and better themselves and get a new stadium to increase revenue. It’s difficult to do when you’re going to get fined for that.
“The accounts are certainly worrying, but I think the Premier League would come as a huge bonus for Leeds if that is the case.
“You just hope there is no overspend that costs them a points deduction because getting into the Premier League is hard enough.
“But starting off already snookered behind the black ball with a points deduction, it’s difficult to stay in there. It seems a points deduction is possible, and that would be a disaster.”
The former England international likened Leeds potential problem to the one that Sheffield United faced last season when they earned promotion. Even if the Blades did escape punishment by advancing from the second tier, they then were forced to sell a number of key players prior to the current season, during which their immediate relegation has now been confirmed.
He added: “if you believe what you read that if they [Sheffield United] didn’t get into the Premier League, financially it would’ve been a disaster for them.
“They started the Premier League season weaker than they finished the Championship with the squad that they had because they had to sell players going into the Premier League.
“The Premier League money has kept them going and their head above water.”
