Leicester City's spiraling descent from the fairytale heights of 2015/16 to the grim reality of the English Football League Championship basement has reached a new nadir. Following a protracted legal battle, the club has been hit with an immediate six-point deduction for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSRs). While the King Power hierarchy has branded the sanction "disproportionate", many financial analysts and rival supporters suggest the Foxes have, in fact, escaped lightly. This outlet included.
Leicester City technically got off lightly - whether Premier League were fair is another question
The financial upheaval currently suffocating the East Midlanders is the result of years of unchecked ambition and oblivious mismanagement meeting the hard ceiling of regulatory reality. At present, headlines of points deduction dominate the back pages, the lesser-reported EFL restrictions are perhaps more damaging to the club’s long-term health.
The LE2 side is seemingly operating under a 'fee restriction' embargo: a stifling mechanism that effectively prohibits the club from paying transfer or loan fees. This leaves the recruitment department in a dystopian and desperate loop of hunting for free agents and "zero-fee" loans. It appears they cannot spend a single penny to arrest their slide down the table.
This monetary paralysis has bled onto the pitch; where results mirror boardroom chaos. Fans have increasingly voiced their vitriol through organised protests; targeting both the ownership and director of football Jon Rudkin.
The once-revered Khun Top is now facing unprecedented scrutiny. Supporters point to a series of recruitment failures and the appointment of Marti Cifuentes (who was recently sacked) as evidence of an organisation that has lost its identity. The 'Foxes Never Quit' mantra feels increasingly hollow as the threat of back-to-back relegations becomes a terrifyingly plausible scenario.
Leicester City were lucky to only lose six points says expert - further deductions expected this season
Coinciding with current gloom, financial expert Stefan Borson's forecasting remains stormy. He cautions that LCFC's current six-point hit might only be the beginning. With the club's refusal to provide timely 2024/25 accounts being cited as an aggravating factor by the commission, Borson presumes further charges are inevitable before the season concludes.
"Or are they going to put it to an appeal, in which case, that can go wrong and they could end up with a higher sanction."Stefan Borson - talkSPORT
For a team that broke the top flight monopoly a decade ago, the irony is bitter. Leicester may find that their biggest battle this year isn't against opposition on the pitch, but against the mounting weight of their own ledger and the league itself. And the EPL ostensibly wants revenge.
"Then, it's a question of what happened in 24/25"