Starting next season, the English Football League (EFL) will have the authority to enforce sanctions handed down by independent Premier League commissions.
This follows a situation last April where the EFL acknowledged its existing rules prevented it from imposing a points deduction on Leicester City. The club had been charged by the Premier League for breaching Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) related to the 2022–23 season, during which Leicester were still competing in the EFL and aiming for promotion.
In September, an appeal board ruled that the Premier League lacked jurisdiction to charge Leicester for their 2022–23 financial submission, since the club was in the EFL when the accounts were filed. The Premier League expressed its disappointment at the ruling and confirmed in January that arbitration on the issue was still underway.
The EFL has now announced that both it and the Premier League will be able to apply each other’s sanctions, creating a more unified enforcement approach across divisions.
The league also reaffirmed that EFL clubs must submit an estimated PSR (Profitability and Sustainability Regulations) calculation every March for the current season. If a breach appears likely, the EFL may still impose early measures, such as mandating a business plan or player sales when the transfer window opens in June.
Under the updated rules, clubs will submit their final audited accounts and PSR calculations in December to the league they are in at that time. Discussions are still ongoing about adopting a UEFA-style squad cost ratio, which would cap spending on player-related costs based on a club’s income—a model the Premier League is currently trialling in a non-binding form.
Additionally, the Premier League has amended its rulebook to clarify that relegated clubs are still subject to its regulations.
