Portsmouth’s relegation rivals West Brom to be slapped with points deduction in shock twist to survival fight
West Brom sit one point above Pompey in the Championship standings but could be handed a points deduction before the close of the season after breaching EFL financial rules.
Pompey’s relegation rivals West Brom could be slapped with a points deduction before the end of the season, according to a shock new report.
The race for Championship survival has taken a fresh twist this morning after the Baggies were charged by the EFL for breaching their Profit and Sustainability Rules.
The Telegraph's John Percy has revealed the West Midlands are facing the huge threat of points deduction, which would have massive implications on the survival battle.
It is believed West Brom’s breach is not thought to be significant, but only minor losses can still incur point deduction, fines as well as transfer bans.
Pompey’s relegation rivals to be slapped with potential points deduction
During the 2024-25 campaign, the Baggies recorded an operating loss of £17m, taking their overall losses since July 2022 to £55.6m.
The Football League permit a maximum loss of £39m during a three-year period, with the Hawthorns side more than £16m over the threshold.
After the EFL’s Club Financial Reporting Unit assessed their accounts, West Brom were shown to have breached the financial rules and have 14 days to respond to the charge.
Under the league’s guidelines, any sanction from the previous campaign must be applied the following season - meaning the Baggies may well be slapped with a points deduction in the coming weeks.
This would have huge ramifications at the bottom of the Championship standings, with James Morrison’s men currently two points above the relegation zone and one point above Pompey.
It would represent the latest second-tier club to be slapped with a points deduction this term, with Sheffield Wednesday handed separate points deduction for falling into administration, while Leicester City were deducted six points in February for breaching the EFL’s financial rules.
Although it remains to be seen what punishment the Football League will hand out to the Blues’ relegation rivals, should a points deduction occur in the coming weeks then the Baggies could fall into the bottom three.
The report claims West Brom are attempting to delay any penalties until the 2026-27 campaign to avoid a return to the Championship’s bottom three with four games remaining.
Michael Eisner on Championship finances
According to Companies House, the Blues posted losses of £4.3m during the 2024-25 campaign, while Tornante's total investment to date has now reached £54m.
And the Pompey chairman called for clubs to become more sustainable, with ‘dark clouds hovering over the English football pyramid’.
A statement on the clubs website read in March: ‘I am pleased with the overall growth of the Portsmouth Football Club - not only with the facilities, including the renovation of Fratton Park and the acquisition of a training facility, but the protection of the current infrastructure by purchasing land and houses around it, and by continuing our strong established management with new additional management.
‘Although our present position in the table is of concern, I’m optimistic over the remainder of the season.
‘But let me be clear. There are dark clouds hovering over the English football pyramid, and it seems to me there could be a real collapse where only the Premier League survives.
‘Every single club in the Championship lost money last year. The combined operating loss of the 24 teams for the last full set of published results in 2023-24 was £411m ($549m).
‘No club can survive for the long-term in this system and if that continues, catastrophe will happen. If the forces that control the pyramid from the top tiers to the bottom tiers do not make football more sustainable and do it quickly, those dark clouds will deliver more soaking red ink beyond what one can imagine.
‘We need effective player salary cost controls, real attention to fairer distribution of media revenues and for English football to join the rest of the sports world in more advance commercialisation of the broadcast and streaming product.
‘Let England not abdicate the leadership and advancement of the game. Let England save the game for England.
‘My family is walking head strong into this storm, but if I was a historic fan in Portsmouth, I’d scream for change in the structure to protect the beautiful game and our clubs and their communities for generations to come.’