CONFIMRED - The final countdown

[stealthpapes]

Someone - maybe Snowflake - said this right at the start.

If Dai is disqualified then there's no reason why a club owned by Dai should be allowed to compete in the League.
That's the end point.

The EFL are likely praying we come 7th or lower.

This. The moment the clock runs out and we are still owned by Dai, then all bets are off. Looking for sense or precidents is really just a comfort blanket at the moment.

Come the end of the week, if the EFL are not satisfied that a deal is or will definitely complete, then we are at the whim of their statutes and whatever the Board decide. That could be immediate suspension, expulsion or if we are very, very lucky a stay of execution.

My gut feeling is a one month extension with a suspension due to kick in at midnight the day after the final game of the season - so if the club is not sold, we are essentially removed from the final standings - the suspension will be valid until the day after the play-off final weekend completes. If the club is still not sold, then we will be expelled - if sold, we will be placed back into L1 for the following campaign.

This is just a gut feeling as to what the "fairest" path forward is but of course this could go a lot better or a lot worse.

FWIW, it's almost exactly where I am on all this.

[Snowflake Royal]

Someone - maybe Snowflake - said this right at the start.

If Dai is disqualified then there's no reason why a club owned by Dai should be allowed to compete in the League.
That's the end point.

The EFL are likely praying we come 7th or lower.

This. The moment the clock runs out and we are still owned by Dai, then all bets are off. Looking for sense or precidents is really just a comfort blanket at the moment.

Come the end of the week, if the EFL are not satisfied that a deal is or will definitely complete, then we are at the whim of their statutes and whatever the Board decide. That could be immediate suspension, expulsion or if we are very, very lucky a stay of execution.

My gut feeling is a one month extension with a suspension due to kick in at midnight the day after the final game of the season - so if the club is not sold, we are essentially removed from the final standings - the suspension will be valid until the day after the play-off final weekend completes. If the club is still not sold, then we will be expelled - if sold, we will be placed back into L1 for the following campaign.

This is just a gut feeling as to what the "fairest" path forward is but of course this could go a lot better or a lot worse.

FWIW, it's almost exactly where I am on all this.

Same.

[WestYorksRoyal]

This. The moment the clock runs out and we are still owned by Dai, then all bets are off. Looking for sense or precidents is really just a comfort blanket at the moment.

Come the end of the week, if the EFL are not satisfied that a deal is or will definitely complete, then we are at the whim of their statutes and whatever the Board decide. That could be immediate suspension, expulsion or if we are very, very lucky a stay of execution.

My gut feeling is a one month extension with a suspension due to kick in at midnight the day after the final game of the season - so if the club is not sold, we are essentially removed from the final standings - the suspension will be valid until the day after the play-off final weekend completes. If the club is still not sold, then we will be expelled - if sold, we will be placed back into L1 for the following campaign.

This is just a gut feeling as to what the "fairest" path forward is but of course this could go a lot better or a lot worse.

FWIW, it's almost exactly where I am on all this.

Same.

So we have to deal with an extra month of this shit?

I also think what is set out is most likely. I don't have much confidence a deal will happen, but it does it'll be at 23.59.

[Sutekh]

Apparently (according to recent Twitter post)

...on companies house our accounts for last year are now due at end of June and not today

Can anyone with Companies House access please check - thanks. If true, what does it mean?

I believe the end of June is correct for football clubs, ties in with the official “end of season on player contracts”, as isn’t it basically how Leicester managed to dodge their PL penalty last year.

[Snowflake Royal]

FWIW, it's almost exactly where I am on all this.

Same.

So we have to deal with an extra month of this shit?

I also think what is set out is most likely. I don't have much confidence a deal will happen, but it does it'll be at 23.59.

My spin on stranded's post basically differs only in terms of how the wheels of beaurocracy grind slowly.

The FL will move to suspend and expel us once Dai fails to sell by the extended deadline in April. But it'll take approximately a month to organise, confirm and implement thaat, by which time we'll have completed our fixtures, which conveniently maintains the integrity of the competition in the simplest way.

Should a sale miraculously go through in the intervening month, the action will be suspended. I don't think we'll get a formal hard extension, but it acts as an informal soft extension.

Basically, enjoy every game you can, because we're not getting any more after early May.

[rabidbee]

From reading the regulations last week, I think any expulsion would have to be ratified by an EGM anyway.

[Snowflake Royal]

From reading the regulations last week, I think any expulsion would have to be ratified by an EGM anyway.

I assume that's an Extraordinary General Meeting?

[rabidbee]

Yes.

[Sutekh]

From reading the regulations last week, I think any expulsion would have to be ratified by an EGM anyway.

Correct, the FL would have to call an EGM unless they could wait until the AGM (Annual General Meeting) in June.

At the end of the day let’s see what happens with RC and the escrow first before getting carried away with what the FL will do.

[rabidbee]

From reading the regulations last week, I think any expulsion would have to be ratified by an EGM anyway.

Correct, the FL would have to call an EGM unless they could wait until the AGM in June.

At the end of the day let’s see what happens with RC and the escrow first before getting carried away with what the FL will do.

I mentioned it because obviously it would have a bearing on the timetable. I doubt even EGMs tend to happen over night, so it adds a bit more time for possible reprieves/dragging out the inevitable.

[Snowflake Royal]

AGM is presumably before fixtures are announced? If so that's our absolute line of no-return.

I not, they'll want it sorted before doing the fixtures, and they won't want an EGM just a week or two prior to the AGM.

I would say that line is between 1 and 2 weeks prior to announcing fixtures.

[Whore Jackie]

Last year's EFL AGM was 7 June. Fixtures released 26 June. Season started 9/10 August.

2025/26 League 1 and League 2 starts a week earlier 2/3 August. With play-off finals 24/25/26 May, I reckon we're looking at similar dates re AGM and fixture release, could possibly be a week earlier?

[Snowflake Royal]

Last year's EFL AGM was 7 June. Fixtures released 26 June. Season started 9/10 August.

2025/26 League 1 and League 2 starts a week earlier 2/3 August. With play-off finals 24/25/26 May, I reckon we're looking at similar dates re AGM and fixture release, could possibly be a week earlier?

OK, so we can be pretty sure it won't be later, which means the cliff edge has an absolutely no later than 7 June hard line.

[Armadillo Roadkill]

Any idea if the sale has to be confirmed or to have actually gone through and be completed by the last date (i.e. just before the AGM, assuming this is correct)? I've lost track.

[blueroyals]

Apparently (according to recent Twitter post)

...on companies house our accounts for last year are now due at end of June and not today

Can anyone with Companies House access please check - thanks. If true, what does it mean?

It buys a bit more time, but I don't expect them to be filed any time soon while Dai is still owner.

I suspect the previous set of accounts were only eventually signed off by the auditors due to the amount of time that had passed. The sticking point of whether the club was a "going concern" or not became moot, given the club still remain in business 24 months later.

[Biscuit goalie]

What is the prize money for winning the playoffs?

[WestYorksRoyal]

Any idea if the sale has to be confirmed or to have actually gone through and be completed by the last date (i.e. just before the AGM, assuming this is correct)? I've lost track.

You would normally say contract being exchanged is a point of no return, though Ron Martin at Southend managed to hold up completing for almost a year after that stage.

[Brogue]

What is the prize money for winning the playoffs?

Not sure you get anything do you. Just the gate receipts

[Brogue]

What is the prize money for winning the playoffs?

Not sure you get anything do you? Just gate receipts

[Sutekh]

What is the prize money for winning the playoffs?

I heard that this year it’s £5 and a Chinese “get out of jail free” card