EFL reveal the fate of this season’s League Two relegation between Stevenage and Macclesfield Town, and there has been a confirmed change.
An independent Arbitration Panel has upheld the EFL’s appeal in respect of the outcome of an independent Disciplinary Commission who in June 2020 had considered misconduct charges brought against Macclesfield Town.
The charges related to failing to pay a number of players on the applicable payment dates due in March 2020, failing to act with utmost good faith in respect of matters with the EFL and for breaching an order, requirement, direction or instruction of the League.
EFL Statement: Macclesfield Town.#EFL https://t.co/58XDkFXTaT
— EFL Communications (@EFL_Comms) August 11, 2020
The Arbitration Panel confirmed that the two-point suspended sporting sanction activated on 19 June 2020 from previous proceedings will stand and in addition the four point deduction, originally suspended in the latest proceedings and only to be activated in the event of a further breach of Regulation 63.7 during season 2020/21, will be activated immediately and applied to the 2019/20 table.
Today’s outcome leaves Macclesfield Town in 24th position in the table on 19 points with a points per game (PPG) total of 23.62, resulting in the Club’s relegation into the National League.
The Arbitration panel’s decision is final and binding.
The EFL will be making no further comment.
LEAGUE TWO 2020/21 LINEUP:
1 Barrow
2 Bolton Wanderers
3 Bradford City
4 Cambridge United
5 Carlisle United
6 Cheltenham Town
7 Colchester United
8 Crawley Town
9 Exeter City
10 Forest Green Rovers
11 Grimsby Town
12 Harrogate Town
13 Leyton Orient
14 Mansfield Town
15 Morecambe
16 Newport County
17 Oldham Athletic
18 Port Vale
19 Salford City
20 Scunthorpe United
21 Southend United
22 Stevenage
23 Tranmere Rovers
24 Walsall
NATIONAL LEAGUE 2020/21 LINEUP:
1 Aldershot Town
2 Altrincham
3 Barnet
4 Boreham Wood
5 Bromley
6 Chesterfield
7 Dagenham & Redbridge
8 Dover Athletic
9 Eastleigh
10 Halifax Town
11 Hartlepool United
12 King’s Lynn Town
13 Macclesfield Town
14 Maidenhead United
15 Notts County
16 Solihull Moors
17 Stockport County
18 Sutton United
19 Torquay United
20 Wealdstone
21 Weymouth
22 Woking
23 Wrexham
24 Yeovil Town
MACCLESFIELD TOWN TIMELINE:
• December 2019: A 10-point deduction is imposed, with four suspended, for non-payment of salaries and failing to fulfil a fixture against Crewe. In March, this was reduced to seven points with three suspended after Macclesfield appealed. It meant the club were deducted four points with immediate effect.
• April 2020: Macclesfield put players and staff on government furlough scheme because of coronavirus.
• May 2020: A seven-point deduction follows for failing to play a match against Plymouth and non-payment of wages, with the suspended three points from the first case being applied. That took the total deduction for the season to 11 points. A further two-point deduction was suspended.
• 9 June 2020: Players accuse the EFL of “trying their best to throw Macclesfield out of the league”.
• 19 June 2020: The two-point deduction is activated for a third breach – taking the season’s total deduction to 13 points, plus a further four-point suspended deduction.
• 4 August 2020: Majority shareholder Amar Alkadhi steps down as Macclesfeld chairman and plans to sell his stake in the club.
• 11 August 2020: The suspended four-point penalty is enforced immediately following the EFL’s successful appeal and Macclesfield are relegated.
Fans have reacted as EFL reveal fate of League Two relegation between Stevenage and Macclesfield Town…
Absolutely disgraceful lack of consistency shown, you delay Sheffield Wednesday’s penalty but do everything you can to bring forward Macclesfield’s? Where’s the logic?
— Claret & Blue Pixels (@Dazzla84_SSFC) August 11, 2020
But Sheffield Wednesday’s deduction is next season? All righty then.
— Rheas (@smit112) August 11, 2020
As a Wednesdayite, I totally agree… a lot of what we did was of our own doing… in all case the fans who are the lifeblood of every team suffer.
I just don’t get how the EFL can bend the rules to suit.— Daryl Slinn (@darylslinn) August 11, 2020
that’s total bullshit by the way, awful decision but that has nothing to do with it
— martin (@martinlloyd23) August 11, 2020
So you’ll shit on a little club but a club that blatantly cheats gets a penalty next season, rotten to the core
— @DanGriffin45 (@dangriffin37) August 11, 2020
Honestly make your mind up whether to charge a team this season or next season, it seems like you pick and choose what clubs you want to stay up and what clubs you want to relegate
— Stingrayjnr (@Stingrayjnr) August 11, 2020
So on the back of this, surely Sheff Weds must be docked their points for the 19/20 season as well, and not start next season on minus 10 (or whatever it is)
— Andy Kennington (@andykennington) August 11, 2020
Ah Macclesfield Town= small club so do as you wish. #swfc are self-proclaimed as massive so therefore we treat them differently because their 784 coaches full of away fans may say nasty things about us. Got it. #EFL – not fit for purpose.
— Clark Eastwood (@ClarkEastwood1) August 11, 2020
Relegated a club 5 months after the league technically ended? Pathetically ran organisation
— Tom (@Tom9823) August 11, 2020
Absolutely shambolic, the likes of Wigan, Bury, Bolton, Macclesfield, Charlton, Oldam and many more clubs have been screwed over due to the sheer incompetence of the efl. Change needs to occur now.
— Joe (@fizzywhizzy2) August 11, 2020
Can you not see there is a common denominator in all of what’s going on with these clubs atm? It’s you! You’re the one thing that links all of these problems. Sort your own house out before you kill another club
— Andrew Henderson (@Wigtixfan) August 11, 2020
To summarise, they’ve chucked another club in the bin
— Aaron Vose (@vose_aaron) August 11, 2020
Yet another shambolic mess, Macclesfield breach the rules so get docked points by an independent panel. EFL then disagree with their findings & relegate club with further points deduction. Meanwhile, Sheff Wed get a points deduction put onto next season, where is the consistency?
— Chris Horner (@Chris_Horner1) August 11, 2020
Any shred of sporting integrity left well and truly gone and sunk without trace. Shocking.
— Angela Smith. (@AngelaSmith_) August 11, 2020
Another club tossed to the lions, meanwhile other clubs in higher divisions are allowed to roll it over to next season , surely in the interest of fairness it’s the same rules for all football league clubs who all operate under the EFL umbrella
— John (@John98789413) August 11, 2020
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