THE EFL has referred Reading Football Club to an Independent disciplinary commission (IDC) for continued non-payment of taxes owed to HMRC.
September and October tax bills remain outstanding which have led to the Royals being under a registration embargo.
In addition to this restriction, the club remains unable to buy players for a fee for the next three transfer windows after it had accrued 79 days of late payments within the current 12-month period, far above the 30 day limit.
EFL rules state that clubs which continue to fail to make the payment, as is the case with Reading, must be referred to an independent commission who shall determine an appropriate further sanction.
The Royals were subject to an IDC judgement after failing to pay their players on time on three separate occasions last season, which resulted in the club being docked four points.
EFL Statement: Reading FChttps://t.co/IHh9jPy8ZL pic.twitter.com/xQgRTuXyye
— EFL Communications (@EFL_Comms) November 1, 2023
In a statement published on Wednesday afternoon, EFL Chief Executive, Trevor Birch, said: “This is a challenging situation for all involved and we understand the frustrations of supporters and the negative impact sporting sanctions and further charges are having on the football club.
“As a League, we are required to ensure all 72 members are treated fairly and consistently on all matters so that the integrity of the competition is maintained. These consistent failures of the Club’s ownership to meet its ongoing obligations have a knock-on effect on all Clubs and as such, the deterrents in place must be actioned when breached.
“We have today met with the Reading Supporters Trust to discuss the ongoing challenges and will continue to work with the Club in an attempt find a positive solution moving forward.”
The EFL added that personal proceedings against Reading’s owner Dai Yongge are ongoing following his failure to deposit 125% of the club’s monthly wage bill into a designated account.
Mr Dai’s hearing is set to take place by the end of November.
