Leeds: Don't punish us

Struggling Leeds, who lost nearly £50million last year and yesterday admitted they could go into administration soon, are believed to have been prominent opponents along with Tottenham, Aston Villa and Everton.

Clubs such as Charlton and Bolton want to implement a nine-point penalty but were out-voted at last month's meeting.

Sources claim the opponents' main objection centres on concerns about exemptions for financial circumstances which are beyond the control of the club in question. For example, should the sanction apply if a club were forced into administration because another club failed to pay them a transfer fee?

These fears led to demands for a new, more detailed proposal which covered possible exemptions from the points penalty. This will be considered at a future date.

Either way the future for Leeds looks bleak. The club are currently bottom of the league and relegation would mean administration. Given their financial position the club would almost certainly have to accept offers for their best players, such as Alan Smith and Paul Robinson, in the January transfer window.

But with their problems so public, their negotiating position over any transfer is inevitably weakened.

Should they call in the administrators, Leeds would become the first Premiership club to do so - a staggering failure given the huge income top flight teams derive from the Sky television deal. However, if their financial situation does deteriorate, Leeds could still use the existing rules to their advantage.

Should they go into administration as a Premiership club they will avoid the Football League's 10-point penalty, even if they are relegated. The Football League's deduction, which comes into effect on 10 May, currently applies only to member clubs.