Derby County are set to be punished after an appeals panel found them guilty of financial irregularities, according to the Daily Mail.

The Rams were charged back in January 2020 by the EFL on two counts - one for how Pride Park was valued in 2018 when it was sold to owner Mel Morris, and secondly for their amortisation policy which related to how the club valued their players.

County were cleared of the first charge but the EFL were not satisfied when the club weren't punished for the amortisation aspect, which apparently saw losses of up to £30 million over three years wiped from the books.

After the EFL appealed the decision in September, no word had been heard but just two days after Derby secured their place in the Championship for another season after a final day battle with Sheffield Wednesday, their position could now be in jeopardy.

Wayne Rooney's side face either a financial penalty or a points deduction, and if history is anything to go by then Birmingham and Sheffield Wednesday in recent years were given nine and 12 point deductions respectively - the latter was eventually reduced to six.

It could even be implemented on this seasons league record, and any deduction would send the Rams into League One and potentially save Wycombe Wanderers, but it may instead come next season which would be a slight reprieve for the club.

The Verdict

This is quite bad for Derby and they'll be hoping more than anything that if there is a points deduction to come that it'll be next season and not for the 2020/21 campaign.

If it is delayed until next season then once Erik Alonso's takeover is confirmed then the club can build on their squad to try and overturn the points deficit that they will probably have.

However if a punishment is placed on them for the season that has just finished, then it could have huge ramifications on Derby's future and they'll be praying it's not the case.