Derby have been docked 12 points by the English Football League, sending them to the foot of the Championship, after confirming the appointment of administrators. Wayne Rooney’s side had 10 points from eight games but are now six points adrift of second-bottom Nottingham Forest.
A Derby statement said Andrew Hosking, Carl Jackson and Andrew Andronikou of the business advisory firm Quantuma would serve as joint administrators. Derby had signalled their intention to appoint administrators last week, citing a failure to identify new owners and the continued impact of Covid-19 on revenue streams.
In a statement, Hosking said: “We are in the early stages of assessing the options available to the club and would invite any interested parties to come forward. Our immediate objectives are to ensure the club completes all its fixtures in the Championship this season and finding interested parties to safeguard the club and its employees.”
The EFL said it had held talks with the administrators and that talks were planned with the supporters’ group Rams Trust, the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and local MPs.
The EFL’s chief executive, Trevor Birch, said: “I appreciate that this is a challenging and concerning period for everyone associated with the club, particularly the staff and supporters, and it is our intention to work proactively with the administrators and all relevant parties with the objective of securing a long-term and viable future for Derby County.”
Derby stand to be deducted a further nine points, and given a suspended three-point deduction, for a separate breach of the EFL rules. Derby were ordered to resubmit their 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 accounts after being found to have broken accounting regulations. – Guardian
