Luton boss taking no interest in Sheffield Wednesday case with the EFL until decision has been made

Owls could drop into relegation battle if given a points deduction
Luton were beaten 1-0 by Sheffield Wednesday in AugustLuton were beaten 1-0 by Sheffield Wednesday in August
Luton were beaten 1-0 by Sheffield Wednesday in August

Luton Town chief Nathan Jones won't be paying any attention to the ongoing legal case between Sheffield Wednesday and the EFL until the outcome is know and possible punishment handed out.

The Owls were charged with misconduct by the EFL back in November 2019 over charges of breaching Profitability & Sustainability rules due to the sale of their Hillsborough stadium to owner Dejphon Chansiri for about £60m, helping them record a pre-tax profit of £2.5m for 2017-18.

Without the sale of the ground, Wednesday would have posted a pre-tax loss of £35.4m for the financial year covering the 2017-18 campaign.

That loss would have followed on from deficits of £9.8m and £20.8m in the previous two seasons and under the EFL's profitability and sustainability rules, Championship clubs are only allowed to lose £39m over three years.

The Owls were expected to appear in front of the three-man panel in July but proceedings began this week, although there is no date set for a decision.

If found guilty, Wednesday, who are 13 points above the Hatters in 15th place, could face a transfer embargo, fine, or a significant points deduction, which would see them drop firmly into the relegation battle.

Although Town chairman David Wilkinson told the Luton News recently he thought sides should be punished for breaking the rules, when asked for his thoughts, Jones said: "That’s not for me to comment on.

"There will be plenty of people looking at that case in lots of ways, so all I can concentrate is my team, improving my team, making my team ready for the challenges that we can affect, anything else is beyond our control.

"So whatever will happen, will happen, and I’m sure those who are better equipped than me will make those decisions and then we will have a bigger interest.

“Until we find out what happens, then it doesn’t come into our relevance really."

Earlier this month, Town's Championship rivals Birmingham City avoided a points deduction despite the EFL winning its appeal against an independent disciplinary commission's decision to clear the Blues of a misconduct charge in relation to an alleged breach of an agreed business plan.

Meanwhile, Derby County are waiting to see if they will be charged by the Championship’s governing body over a supposed breach of financial rules.