West Brom Charged With EFL PSR Breach, Relegation at Risk
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- West Brom have been charged with an alleged breach of EFL Profit and Sustainability rules covering the 2024/25 accounting period, with accounts filed by the December 31 deadline
- Sky Sports News reports that if a breach is confirmed, it is marginal rather than flagrant — likely a minimal points deduction, possibly 3 points compared to the 6-point deduction handed to Leicester
- The dispute centers on approximately £5m in interest payments on a £20m+ loan taken out by former owner Guochuan Lai; new owners Bilkul argue those costs fall to ownership, not the club's PSR calculations
- West Brom sit on 46 points, just two above the relegation zone, meaning a deduction would push them directly into the scrap with Leicester, Oxford, Blackburn and Portsmouth
- The EFL is under pressure to finalize the case before the Championship season ends, as guidelines require punishment in the season immediately following the breach to preserve sporting integrity
- West Brom maintain publicly that they have "fully complied with the P&S rules" and will continue cooperating with the EFL's Club Financial Reporting Unit
Why it matters: A points deduction would directly reshape the Championship survival race involving five clubs separated by a single verdict, with West Brom's 46-point total potentially dropping to 43 and dragging them into the bottom three. The article notes the realistic possibility that all three relegated clubs (Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester, and West Brom) could go down under points deductions — a pattern the EFL's own system has produced but that the headline framing underplays.
