The Leeds debacle

Thank goodness the Football League retained some dignity and common sense today when they laughed in the face of Leeds United's downright cheeky appeal to have their already lenient-as-hell 15-point penalty decreased before the start of the new season. I would like to suggest that justice has been served, but even with the points deduction it doesn't even come close.

Essentially, the way I see it is, Leeds United have no obligation to pay off its creditors since the club went into administration last season, and have instead incurred a 15-point penalty before the start of season 2007/8. This decision spits in the face of all the other clubs in this country that have gone into administration but who have had to pay their debt off in full. Why should Leeds get away with it? Maybe it's because they're a big club, and it's one rule for them and another for the small clubs.

This 'big club-small club' complex is the result of Sky's meddling, which basically began when the Premiership was formed in 1992. Since then the rich have become richer, and the poor have become poorer. The gap is widening for all to see.

Leeds United is a perfect example of how a so-called big club can fall from grace and appear to hit rock bottom, only for them to be granted special permission to get away with what a lot of other clubs haven't. Take Boston United, for instance: they ended last season with a mountain of debt (somewhere in the region of £2m) and in administration. They were relegated to the Conference National but have since been further demoted to the Conference North. If they were offered the same deal as Leeds were offered, then I'm pretty damn sure they would be more than happy to accept it. They would be starting this season one league up (albeit with a deficit of 15 points) and a debt of £2m completely vanished.

When a club is in administration it has a transfer embargo forced upon them. Since Leeds got out of paying off their debt last week they've been able to buy players again, and I've counted six so far. That's a massive advantage over those clubs that are still in administration or struggling financially. Some clubs have been relegated because of administration (see Rotherham and the unfortunate case of Scarborough) and other clubs have attempted to keep their heads above water and not go into administration, but have only succeeded in falling through the leagues as a result of not paying money for the good players they needed.

And one final point I will make on this Leeds subject is the nature of their debt. Most clubs outside of the Premiership fell into financial difficulty through no fault of their own. They were promised three years of ITV Digital money, only for that promise to be broken six months in. As a result many of the clubs had given out three-year contracts to players, which ultimately plunged more or less every club into debt. Most are still in debt; some went into administration; others coped but not without a few years of money troubles. Leeds' debt, however, is self-inflicted; by spending money they never had. As a result I have no sympathy for them, and in my opinion they should have been subjected to the same punishment as every other club that has gone into administration. Leeds' debt was so bad that it was mooted that it would take forever to pay the creditors off, so another agreement had to be reached. What was once a club with a crippling debt and a bleak future has just become a club with no debt and every chance of staying in League 1 this season - with the ability to build for the future once again.