Dunfermline Athletic were last night plunged into a relegation fight in the First Division after being hit with a 15-point deduction by the Scottish Football League.
With the Court of Session due to decide whether or not to grant the Pars full administration, it had been thought the SFL board may have seen sense in holding off at least one more day before deciding what punishment to impose on the club for entering interim administration two weeks ago.
However, the SFL swung their axe and trimmed 15 points off the Pars’ previous points total a move which places them in the relegation play-off spot and in danger of dropping down to Division Two.
The Pars were also hit with a player registration embargo on footballers over the age of 21 until the club comes out of administration with immediate effect.
Furthermore, if a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) is not approved by the start of next season and the club remain in administration as a consequence, a further 10 point penalty will be imposed and a financial guarantee of £150,000 will be required to protect the SFL against future risk.
Administrator Bryan Jackson, who handled Dundee’s affairs after they were hit with a 25-point deduction in 2010, described Dunfermline’s penalty as a “fair punishment”, adding “at least this decision means that we know where we stand and what has to be done on and off the park.”
Boss Jim Jefferies has already vowed to accept the measures imposed and is now focused on trying to steer his side out of trouble in the remaining four fixtures.
“The club is being punished but the bottom line is that we all suffer because of the consequences of what has happened,” he said.
“It’s the club’s fault, not the players.”
The Pars automatically dropped to ninth spot in the table after the deduction but still have their league survival in their own hands.”