Leeds United get all 15 points back
- 28th Apr 2008
- Leave a Comment
- Team Effort
Or at least we all hope! Leeds United have entered the final stage of their fight to gain back the 15 points deducted at the start of the season, due to going into administration. The arbitration committee met over a week ago to decide the fate of the points and announced that a verdict would be made by the 1st May.
It was widely believed that the decision would be made public after the hearing, but initially officials said it could take up to four weeks for the announcement. This has now been changed due to the complications it could cause with the League One play-offs. It is not known if the verdict will be announced on the 1st May or before the deadline.
If Leeds get the 15 points back they could potentially win the league, if Leeds win their last game and Swansea fail to get all three points. With a 15 point gain Leeds will definitely ensure that Carlisle, Nottingham Forest and Doncaster would all lose out on the second automatic promotion place. This is likely to lead to wide-spread protest and legal action by the clubs, who feel that the Football Leagues initial decision of point’s deduction was correct.
Both the Football League and Leeds United have agreed to stand by the decision of the Arbitration Committee, and it is unlikely that either side will take further action. Leeds fans eagerly await the decision and it is rumoured that the verdict will be announced early this week.
22 Comments | Leave a comment »
Good lad Dave, Throw a bit of football on the blog. Proper FOOTBALL. Although Leeds are shite
Fair play to Leeds, they deserve to go back up just through there effort, but even if they do go back up, they’d lose to the mighty Bristol City! :)
Fair to say I’ve never clicked on a link faster than when I read this headline.
Would be great if they did give the 15 points back, but I reckon they’ll just give a token couple of points back which will make no difference to the table.
I think it’s discraseful that it wasn’t sorted out a long time ago, for the other clubs that the verdict could effect as well as Leeds.
I do believe though that Leeds should get the points back, they’ve earned them.
would be wonderful if we did - but I reckon we’ll just get a token amount back so as not to upset the apple cart - so it will still be down to the playoffs - might get a chance to see the new Wembley Stadium before the Rugby League Final in August - where the other Leeds team will, hopefully, be playing.
hey Elaine if it is playoffs for leeds maybe we should sort out a lufc web masters day out :)
DaveN
Leeds don’t deserve anything.
Jeremy on what grounds ?
as long as we can get the tickets, there’s defo me, my Dave and ‘ourkev’ - will I need to wear a cardi over my LUFC shirt though - don’t want to get penalized :)
The 15 points weren’t deducted for going into administration - Leeds were docked 10 points last season for that, and accepted that punishment. The 15 points penalty was plucked from the air by Mawhinney and the Football League because they didn’t like the way the club exited from administration … even though there were no Football League rules in place at the time specifying the ‘crime’ nor the punishment. In fact, at the time, there was a clause that a club could exit administration without a CVA ‘under special circumstances’, and Leeds invoked that rule. (The wider context is that the FL wants clubs exiting administration to use a CVA - Company Voluntary Agreement - in which football industry creditors get paid first, but the Inland Revenue is now disputing this in every case. So, since the Leeds case, no club will now be able to exit via a CVA in the manner the FL wants, and therefore if this ‘penalty’ is upheld, all other clubs will also face -15 points … which for most will guarantee relegation and probably force them out of business. Its a complicated case, and a lot of other clubs - starting with Bournemouth, Luton and Rotherham - have a lot at stake at seeing Leeds succeed.)
Jeremy is right … Leeds didn’t deserve anything - they didn’t deserve the -15 penalty because they didn’t break any rules.
Marching On Together …
give us the points back!
stuff the other teams above us
on paper were the 2nd best in the league
and should go up in 2nd place!
I would love to see the entirety of the deduction reimbersed but to be honest the league always wanted it to make as little difference as possible in the long run.
the league hoped that leeds, with the deduction, would finish nicely mid-table so that the deduction would make no difference in their prospects. however as they have domne so well, the issue is having to be looked at properly basically because now it means the difference between automatic promotion and a one in four chance. the stakes have risen and so has the importance of the decision.
ive always been against the ‘ kick a club while their down’ method that the league employs in deducting points from a club simply because they are already in trouble. it doesnt help anyone, just condemns the club.
i reckon there will be a token reimbersement of five points and the only difference that will be made is who we play in the play-offs.
its disgusting and leeds is a club that, for all their achievements this season, have been conspired against. im not being deaf and blind just advocating my own cause, but if sopmeone can tell me what was done to warrant the deduction, i might be a little less one sided.
marching on
I found this site by accident after searching for info on the arbitration and it makes a change for a blog to contain some intelligent remarks, they are usually just full of people ranting and raving, e.g. Jeremy.
I’ve been a London based leeds fan for 35 yrs and will finally be visiting Elland Rd for the first time this Saturday. As a Leeds fan things are never dull and for the last 5 or so years off-the-field events have dominated the headlines, so whatever the outcome tomorrow lets all just hope we are now turning the corner and we can all shout about football and not court rooms. It would be nice to get the 15 points back tho :-)
I agree with Dan. I think at best we’ll get a couple of points so the league don’t lose face and have another law suit from the play off teams on their hands. Come on Dirty Leeds
Well lets all hope Liverpool Win tonight, for the good of football, and I’ll hope you get your points back.
Doesn’t seem so long back that Leeds themselves were in a Champions League Semi
leeds have actually had -25 points
luton have had -10 points
so Leeds should get 15 points back
leeds will not get the 15 points and forest will get the second automatic promotion place
I can’t wait to hear the final decision. hope leeds will get all thier points back. LUFC ia a great club, look at all of our former players they’re doin well with their new club. we got great supporters n best gate collection………..go leeds!
So there we are. 0 points back. The Arbitration didn’t even consider the case itself, didn’t consider whether the deduction was unlawful, didn’t consider whether 15 points was an excessive punishment. No, the whole thing was rejected on a technicality - because Leeds, at the time, signed a document that they accepted the FL’s sanction. Leeds have always maintained this was signed ‘under duress’, because if they hadn’t signed they would not have gained their ‘golden share’ and would have been unable to continue playing in the Football League. To add to the insult, the Panel also claimed that even if this agreement under duress had not been made, they would still reject the case - again, not on its merits - because of the time it took to go to arbitration (which was the FL’s fault) and because of the effect it would have now on other teams. What sort of justice is that? “I won’t try the case on its merits because the outcome might upset other clubs”. Why bother hearing any case then? I suppose we shouldn’t expect any better, after all we are Leeds. Good luck to Rotherham, Luton and Bournemouth after this.
Bournemouth really need the points :’(
sem4u, I feel for you guys and luton, but i can’t see how the FL can get out of giving you the 15 point deduction, it’s gone past the end of the season and you didn’t use the CVA.
Dave