Birmingham City EFL rule breach hearing delayed
Monday 25 February 2019 17:36, UK
Birmingham City will be forced to wait until mid-March to find out if they will face a points deduction for breaching EFL financial rules after their hearing was delayed.
The Sky Bet Championship club are facing a possible 12-point penalty after falling foul of the EFL's Profitability and Sustainability (P&S) rules that were introduced at the start of the 2016/17 season.
The EFL released a statement on Monday saying the hearing had been delayed after "one of the members of the Disciplinary Commission regarded themselves as conflicted and withdrew themselves from the case."
The statement continued: "The hearing will now take place in mid-March with the intention of the Disciplinary Commission delivering the outcome quickly so the matter can be fully resolved before the end of this season."
With the ruling set to be the first under the EFL's 'P&S' rules, it is expected to set a precedent for any future breach of financial regulations.
Birmingham are currently eighth in the Sky Bet Championship, but a 12-point deduction as things stand would see them taken from play-off contention to just five points above the relegation zone.
Sky Sports News understands the EFL is pushing for a six-point penalty to punish Birmingham for exceeding £39m of allowable losses over a three-year period, and wants to enforce a further six-point deduction for "aggravating factors".
