QPR to challenge ffp

[Lunar Jetman]

Surely Tony's interest will be able to pay the fine. Or shall we get the buckets out

I also think that even if we do get fined and even if it is as much as has been quoted, we won't be expected to pay it all at once. It will have to be in instalments.

[lymehoop]

£58 million fine jeez, what if (and I would) the board just walks out on the club. What then?

[Martinmalta]

So, first we were taken for a ride by the mercenaries we signed and called 'football players;' now we will be taken for another ride by the lawyers!

[surrey_hoop]

£58 million fine jeez, what if (and I would) the board just walks out on the club. What then?

Not sure if you understand how football ownership works, but they can't simply 'walk out'. They are shareholders in the club, which means that they would have to sell said shares before wiping their hands of us. So either they find another buyer, or they (unfortunately for us) have to stay put and face the consequences of their actions.

[Olly]

I think we're only challenging the FFP rules regarding teams relegated from the Prem, and I think I read that at least 75% of the other three division clubs (champs, 1,2) have to agree, and that there is no agreeable compromise so far.

[QPR1976]

Well explained mate. I agree. TF even voted in favour of the rules but they were brought in too early before existing player contracts were worked through.

Not sure he did CCJ.
We were in the Prem when the FL clubs voted in FFP, so we didn't get a vote.

Rules have been changed twice since then. Initially all fines paid would be split & amongst the rest of the FL, now they go to Charity !
And more recently to increase the amount your allowed to lose £45m over 3 seasons) as it was impossible before.
That doesn't take effect until next year though !

Funny how we keep being told we could get fined (or pay a ransom of) £58m and the Board wrote off £60m ??
My, those numbers are close to each other. Coincidence ? Nah, probably not.....

[lymehoop]

Not sure if you understand how football ownership works, but they can't simply 'walk out'. They are shareholders in the club, which means that they would have to sell said shares before wiping their hands of us. So either they find another buyer, or they (unfortunately for us) have to stay put and face the consequences of their actions.

cheers surrey, just been reading the worse scenarios and panics beginning to set in, not thinking straight

[Fozzieboy]

I did hear that the FL are in a pickle with this... as they are trying to fine us under a rule that they have already changed themselves. Which means by changing the rules they have accepted them rules were not acceptable. (something like that). The whole thing is a mess but as far as I am concerned we need to think two things:-

1, If the owners as they say will stick by us, then brilliant they pay the fine and we all move on to the next QPR problem.
2, If the owners take on the debt. Then again fine.

If they do not do the above then they deserve abuse for failing the club, and lets also remember it is not just TONY it is all of them... surely someone with 33% shares and as wealthy as Mr Mittel is not ignoring what is going on? So he must be in the know and he like all directors show take responsibility.

I think the next 12 months is a true honourable test, but no point throwing stones at Tony if he is willing to sort out the mess which has been created.

[Abseits]

Thing is, rules were in place and we deliberately flouted them to an extreme degree compared to other teams in our division. The spirit of FFP is very good, its application has been a shambles though and that's possibly what gives us a bit of leeway to challenge or negotiate the penalty we face.
Off the top of my head I'd say fining us a proportion of our parachute money over coming seasons would be a reasonable sanction.

[Hove Ranger]

Isnt coming to a compromise with the football league basically paying a fine just without the lawyers?

[brightonr]

Really can't understand how some get so worked up about some of these scaremongering stories. All paper talk as far as I'm concerned. Let's just take a simple look at some of the facts.

Firstly, two things of importance below.

"In a joint statement the club and Football League said: “Legal proceedings are ongoing between Queens Park Rangers and the Football League. QPR challenges the legality of the Football League’s Championship Financial Fair Play Rules and any charge against QPR (if any) for breach of FFP Rules shall not be commenced pending the outcome of that challenge."

One, is that it is a JOINT statement, not just from us. Two, the second highlighted bit seems to imply that it has not yet been decided.

If you also take into account that our loss fell within the limits set under FFP, (albeit an unusual way of going about it), what is the fine for? Our official audited accounts, (not some fictional figure), show a loss of £9.8m.

I seem to remember exactly the same type of twisted knickers occuring during the Faurlin hearing, for which the FL would never, ever have deducted points for under the circumstances.

Please just relax. It'll be fine.

[dsqpr]

In a statement the club said: “Legal proceedings are ongoing between Queens Park Rangers and the Football League. QPR challenges the legality of the Football League’s Championship Financial Fair Play Rules and any charge against QPR (if any) for breach of FFP Rules shall not be commenced pending the outcome of that challenge.

“The proceedings are confidential in nature and neither party is entitled to comment upon the proceedings until the independent arbitral panel has delivered its decision.”

Clubs that are still within the Football League that break FFP rules can be punished with various sanctions, including the deduction of points and transfer embargoes restricting further activity.

However, the only means with which to provide a deterrent for those clubs promoted outside of the Football League was to fine them. There is no precedent for a club in QPR’s situation returning to the Championship and Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey has refused to rule out the prospect of QPR being kicked out of the professional game if they do not pay the fine.

The key word in that whole thing is "arbitral". This is not a legal challenge, it is arbitration, with both sides using lawyers to argue their case. Arbitration usually ends in a compromise which I think is all TF is looking for. My guess is that it will end with a small fine just to make us acknowledge that we did wrong and save face for the FL, then life goes on. I'm sure the FL know that we will take the next step and go to court if we don't get a reasonable compromise.