Leeds United chairman Massimo Cellino has been disqualified from his role at the club by the Football League today.
The Italian has been asked to resign from his post, but he will appeal the ruling in due course.
The ruling has been given after the Football League obtained documents from Italy stating that Cellino had been found guilty of tax evasion.
This breaches the “fit and proper” ownership test and has led to the disqualification. Despite the ruling, he can return to the club in March.
These events bring further questions about the “fit and proper” test, after Cellino had overturned a ruling that banned him from taking over this March based on a previous charge.
Both the club and its supporters trust have come out in support of the former Cagliari owner. The club said on their official website: “The club is in the process of taking legal advice on the reasoning of the decision. In the interim, the club notes that nothing has changed since the decision of the Football League’s Professional Conduct Committee in April 2014.”
Whilst supporters trust chairman Paul Keats said: “We have suffered more than other fans at the hands of ruthless and difficult owners. Under Cellino, progress has been fantastic.”
Time will tell whether Cellino successfully overturns another Football League ruling, but this leaves Leeds with further off the field issues to deal with.
