Reading are facing the threat of a second points deduction in 18 months by the Football League.
The Championship club could be punished with sanctions after allegedly breaching the EFL’s business plan, following their six-point deduction in Nov 2021.
Reading were punished for breaching financial rules and agreed to a business plan related to player-related expenditure which the club would have to adhere to.
However, it is understood Reading have broken certain regulations in the plan and are in talks over an agreed punishment with the EFL.
Reading are under threat of being deducted another six points if they are found guilty by an independent disciplinary commission.
In the 2018-19 season it was reported that Reading’s wage bill was £40 million, working out as 194 per cent of their turnover.
For the following campaign their accounts revealed total accumulated losses of £138 million, while their most recent pre-tax loss was £93 million over a three-year period.
The club is owned by Dai Yongge, a Chinese businessman and investor who completed his takeover in 2017.
The EFL declined to comment on Wednesday.
Relegated from the Premier League in 2013, Reading are currently 14th in the Championship table with 44 points. A six-point deduction would currently see them drop down the table below Swansea, Hull, Stoke and Queens Park Rangers, as well as Birmingham City on goal difference.
As revealed previously by Telegraph Sport, Birmingham themselves are facing another charge by the EFL after a lengthy investigation into the club’s ownership structure, with the threat of further sanctions dependent on whether owners Birmingham Sports Holdings Limited (BSHL) have breached regulations by misleading them over the current set-up.
Birmingham were charged last month with allegedly breaking Owners and Director’s Test rules with the allegations including acquiring full control of the club without prior EFL approval.
“A number of individuals” are also facing potential punishment over a collapsed takeover bid last year with Paul Richardson, Maxi Lopez and former Charlton chairman Matt Southall all charged.
It is understood the three men all plan to contest the charges, which will be referred to an independent disciplinary commission later this year.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/03/01/reading-facing-second-points-deduction-18-months-efl-breaches/
