Mark Palios, the Tranmere Rovers owner, has confirmed he has taken legal advice over the club’s relegation from League One and remains open to challenging the EFL’s decision in the courts.
Tranmere were relegated last week after EFL clubs voted to end the League One and League Two seasons and decide placings on a points-per-game basis.
Micky Mellon’s team were third from bottom of League One when the season ended but only three points adrift of AFC Wimbledon with a game in hand. They had also won three consecutive matches before lockdown as the January investment in Mellon’s squad began to pay dividends.
Palios has been forced to make redundancies since relegation was confirmed with Tranmere facing significant financial losses as a result of the decision and the pandemic.
The former Football Association chief executive, who had proposed an alternative system for ending the season featuring margin for error, warned on Monday that the EFL decision could have lengthy, legal ramifications.
In a statement, the Tranmere owner said: “We have been very clear that we regard the vote as unfair, unjust and an entirely unnecessary infliction of damage on our club when we are already grappling with the impact of a global pandemic.
“We have been taking detailed legal advice from experts in this specialist field of litigation and are closely following the legal actions in Belgium, France and Scotland (amongst other places) where similar decisions are being challenged and overturned on the basis of anti-competitive behaviour and unfair prejudice. At this stage we are keeping an open mind as to what legal action may be appropriate and/or necessary, and the timing of that.
“Our preferred option is of course to resolve the dispute in an amicable fashion working together with the EFL – and we invite the EFL to do so with the best interests of the footballing pyramid in mind – but to date the EFL has given no indication of any inclination to work with us to find a reasonable solution without resorting to formal legal proceedings. Accordingly, all options remain open, including a legal challenge if required.”
