The main image of this article shows Luton Town manager Nathan Jones nervously watching a Hatters game from the sidelines. The Bedfordshire side is one of 10 Championship teams that are experiencing nervous times at the moment.
That is according to the Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan, writing for the Mail’s digital portal, Mail Online. The reason for those nerves is simple – a transfer embargo being placed on all 10 teams.
Luton, along with the nine other clubs are victims, to varying degrees, of the ongoing issues exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Covid-19 lockdown – financial armageddon
Keegan writes that there are “concerns growing” that the 10 clubs in question (listed below) are “facing financial armageddon” as fans continue to be locked out of stadiums – thus cutting club revenue lines.
The clubs affected by this were: Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Cardiff City, Coventry City, Derby County, Huddersfield Town, Luton Town, Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City.
Huddersfield Town has come off the list, writes Keegan, and Stoke City “are expected soon to follow suit.” Both these clubs were penalised due to administrative issues relating to the Covid-19 pandemic rather than financial issues such as overspending.
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Not just Covid-19 financial impact to blame
Huddersfield Town and Stoke City (above) are also followed by Luton Town and Coventry City who were both punished by an embargo due to issues in filing club accounts writes Keegan.
These ‘issues’, he said, came about with a Companies House decision to allow a three-month grace period for filing accounts that didn’t match up with the EFL’s rules on such submittals.
Both Coventry City and Luton Town have issued statements explaining the issues and reassuring fans that it will not affect the clubs’ day-to-day running nor plans for the upcoming, summer transfer window.
