Barnsley FC to consider legal action if rivals are not punished this season over FFP

Wednesday have been locked in a dispute with the EFL since last November after they were charged with breaching Profitability & Sustainability rules and a date has now been set in July for their fight to go before an independent disciplinary commission.

The Hillsborough club have strenuously denied financial misconduct but could face severe punishment if found guilty, with the possible sanctions ranging from a heavy points deduction to a transfer embargo or fine.

Derby were charged in January over alleged breaches of financial rules following a review of the club's Profitability and Sustainability submissions.

They face a possible points' deduction if found guilty of recording "excess losses" over the amount permitted for the three-year period ending June 30, 2018.

Birmingham were hit with a nine point penalty last year and placed under a strict spending plan by EFL chiefs.

They could face a second points deduction for breaching FFP spending rules after being charged with not sticking to the agreed budget.

The Owls are nine points above the relegation zone and Blues hold an eight-point buffer.

Conway told The Athletic: “People seem to think little old Barnsley will follow the rules and not make a fuss.

“If we’ve been wronged as a result of the league not following its own rules, then it stands to reason that we’d go against the league and its TV money and ask them to pay us the difference in revenue.

"We think that’s fair and we hope it will benefit other clubs who follow the rules and try to develop young talent.

“I’m an American and in American sports, we self-regulate — if someone breaks the rules, they are cheating the rest of us and we take action.

“We went through this two years ago, when we were five minutes from staying up on the last day only for Bolton to win and go above us. Everyone knew they were cheating the system and were hundreds of millions in debt.

“We decided not to do anything about it then but our attitude has changed. Relegation to League One cost us about £7 million in revenue.

"If something like that happens again, we’ll make a claim and we think we’ll have a strong case. We’re not asking for a change in the rules. We are asking for the rules to be followed.

"We operate to a balanced budget —in fact, going to the coronavirus crisis we were positive for the season,” said Conway.

"That’s just how we do it but when everyone else in the division is losing £9-10 million on average, we expect the league to apply its rules.

"It’s pretty funny hearing some of these Championship clubs arguing for a bailout when they’re budgeting to lose money every season.

"It can’t continue like this — no other major league acts like this. If you have teams not paying players or defaulting on transfer instalments, that goes right to the core of what a league is for."