Barnsley charged by EFL

[Piethagoram]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66188283

[BlackandWhitePie]

They have been charged, but there is no mention of what their punishment will be. Why are the EFL quick to punish some teams quite heavily, but others are only loosely pressures with punishments. As it stands, it's very much a non story.

[thommo]

It seems very suspicious. I don’t agree with point deductions, but if they are guilty of breaking rules, they do need to be punished. Restrictions on their activities and signings should suffice. If it’s to be a level playing field, points would be added.

[RetroPie]

Why would you accept investments from someone the EFL doesn’t know about, unless something shady was going on? The Barnsley board have brought this upon themselves. It sounds as if they have been very secretive, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they end up facing more charges.

[Chris]

It's going to be one of those cases where the punishment must fit the rules that were broken and the more rules broken, the higher the severity. I don't agree with points being docked either; however it's unfair that other teams get punished in such fashion.

[Joshua]

Barnsley should be punished for this. It sounds unfair and very much like cheating. If the EFL doesn’t know who’s putting in money, how do they protect the club when things go wrong? Though, if it’s been happening since 2017, then it’s taken a while for the charges to be pressed. If they are guilty, then they need to be fined for starters.

[allardyces tash]

This isn’t a good thing for the sport and requires swift punishment. Accepting money from outside the club’s structure sounds extremely suspicious and should come with a severe penalty.

[BromPie]

The situation with Barnsley needs to be addressed and resolved. If clubs are expected to follow the rules, why should they be allowed to accept money from sources unknown to the Football League? It raises suspicions of something untoward happening.

[liampie]

they need to have financial penalties applied to them, as if they used that outside money to help them with promotion or to avoid relegation then its unfair to the teams that have followed the rules. its hard for the supporters because they have done nothing wrong, but i hope it makes them want more transparency from their board.  its frustrating to read about this happening because the shows that the efl dont have a grip of accounts like they should do.

[cheeky~k8]

They do need to be charged for it but the rules need to be fair in terms of not letting some teams get away with things and some being charged or docked points. They can be quite heavy handed on some teams but leanient on others.

[DangerousSausage]

This reminds me a bit of Munto, when our takeover was sanctioned without the authorities actually knowing who was behind it. Have they learned nothing?

As for a punishment, that's a tough one. Conway and Lee are no longer on the board there, and any points deduction wouldn't affect them. If the club hasn't gained an unfair sporting advantage, the punishment should be aimed squarely at the directors - they shouldn't be allowed to be involved in English football again. 

[super_ram]

Dodgy dealings by the owners and board but it will be the fans that suffer most again.

[CliftonMagpie]

Barnsley needs to be sorted out. I can’t believe that Man City hasn’t had their punishment yet for lying about the money they spent. However, Barnsley does need to be punished in line with everyone else and made to submit their accounts earlier if they want to lift any potential sanctions. When they do this, you need to force them into complying.

3 hours ago, DangerousSausage said:

This reminds me a bit of Munto, when our takeover was sanctioned without the authorities actually knowing who was behind it. Have they learned nothing?

This forced stricter rules with who operates and owns a club, back when it happened with Munto I don't believe the rules stated you had to say who was involved. You just had to have someone in charge and declare who the owner was.

[TheSkipper]

Barnsley supporters will hope that their team won't face severe punishment. Even if the owners who broke the rules have left, it wouldn't be fair for clubs to be sold as a means of avoiding punishment. The board should have disclosed everything to the EFL and should face the consequences.

[NottsCountyKev]

What is likely to happen to Barnsley? Does anyone know? Will it just be the EFL imposing financial implications and a standard fine?

[SpellbindingCaskey]

Barnsley can’t get away with breaking these rules. I do feel sorry for their fans, but the club needs to be punished accordingly.

[NottsLoyal]

It makes me wonder how strict the EFL is with clubs and their books if it goes back to 2017. They need to implement instant penalties for failing to follow the rules, with longer accounts and information taking longer to be given prompting a proper investigation. I do feel bad for Barnsley, but it does need to be cut out of the game.

[KingMaynard]

Poor Barnsley, I am glad that they have been charged because these things shouldn’t happen. When they need the help of the EFL, they will go running, as will other clubs, but when it comes to abiding by rules to keep the game safe, that’s a different thing!

[NottsTastic]

The EFL must proceed with the charges even if the board at Barnsley has changed. Otherwise, other clubs may be tempted to disrespect the rules, and things will become harder to control. I hope they punish them quite strictly, as it will deter others.

[Nocturnal-Magpie]

The fact that they have been caught is highly suspicious and I do not recall reading any expressions of concern from their fans. The situation with Notts is not really comparable as that was a single season and the EFL actively sought answers which ultimately led to the unraveling of the scam, even more so than Sol Campbell did. This has been ongoing since 2017 and spans multiple seasons.