WAYNE ROONEY’s Derby County are heading for administration after owner Mel Morris gave notice of the drastic move.
The Rams will be slapped with a 12-point penalty when they go through the process which was started on Friday evening.
That massive blow for Rooney came when the club’s solicitors gave notice to the High Court that they will appoint an administrator.
Derby confirmed the news with a statement on their official website, claiming: “This action was made necessary by a number of developments.
“Last week, it became clear that the process which has been underway to identify a purchaser for the club likely would not be productive over the near term, despite the number of negotiations with credible parties.
“Because the Covid-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the revenues and profits of all of its businesses, the club has been unable to service its day-to-day financial obligations.
“The directors had no choice but to make the tough decision to take this action and protect the club.”
An EFL statement read: “With confirmation from Derby County Football Club that they have filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, the EFL can tonight confirm that the Club will be subject to an insolvency event under the terms of the EFL’s Regulations.
As a result, the Club faces a 12-point deduction.
Once the EFL has received formal notification of the application, the deduction will be applied.
“The EFL will in due course engage in discussions with the relevant parties with the aim of achieving a successful outcome for the long-term future for the Club.
“The League is disappointed with the comments made by the Club in respect of COVID lending facilities.
“The EFL entered into a debt raise to provide its Clubs with access to funds that would support them in dealing with the impact of COVID and, as with any loan, this was subject to a timeframe and eligibility criteria which Derby County was unable to meet.”
Rooney was preparing the team for a clash with Stoke City on Saturday as Morris took the ‘nuclear option’ after months of financial battles.
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The players will have to be paid in administration as they are football creditors and they should have their money this month.
However, other creditors face massive losses and Morris will lose control of the club he has run for years.
Derby have pinned their administration on the Covid-19 pandemic, claiming to have taken a £20MILLION hit on their cash flow.
The statement continued: “The irony is that the club’s financial forecasts show the emergence of a financially sustainable picture.
“Absent the Covid-19 pandemic, we undoubtedly would have been able to trade through.”
“However, the impact of Covid-19 pandemic and the unpredictability it has created represents too much of a strain.
“As the Covid-19 pandemic and lock down tightened their grip, the club’s revenues and cash flow took a circa £20m hit.
“This season, Covid-19 has continued to have a negative effect on the club’s revenues…
“We had significantly reduced our wage bill, but the major benefit of these reductions were not going to take effect until this season.”
Derby also highlighted the complications of selling a football club during a pandemic and blamed the EFL for not helping them.
They club added: “The Covid-19 lockdown also meant that we were unable to have face-to-face meetings with a number of potential purchasers who could not visit the stadium or training ground.
“A planned sale of the club and stadium that was due to close in January 2020 collapsed when the EFL was coerced into challenging the stadium sale transaction, a charge that would be dismissed some nine months later.
“The ongoing litigation and charges in regard to the P&S regulations and the protracted timetable for this to reach a resolution, added further uncertainty and made negotiations challenging.”
“These issues also led the EFL to preclude the club from drawing down circa £8.3m of financial assistance, as was made available to all other Championship clubs in respect of settling PAYE liabilities, further aggravating our cash flow and ability to meet our financial obligations.
“Even today, we await the EFL’s response in these matters. This response is important to the club, its supporters and also to any prospective purchaser.”
Derby were already facing separate points penalties for old Financial Fair Play breaches and are yet to receive their punishment from the EFL.
Rooney’s side are expected to be slapped with a nine-point penalty, meaning they could eventually be docked 21 points with more suspended.
It is a hammer blow for the Manchester United icon, who put a brand new squad together in the summer despite the club’s impending doom.
Many of those, such as Phil Jagielka and Sam Baldock, are only signed until January and may not be kept on following Friday evening’s news.
Derby have also been threatened with a two-season transfer ban if they don’t settle their transfer debts by the end of September.
The team have made a decent start to the Championship season – considering their situation – picking up seven points from seven games.
But the cash-strapped club are now facing relegation to League One and a descent down the English football pyramid.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
