AGONY GOES ON FOR AILING MACC
Plymouth call-off adds to the pressure
THE future of beleaguered Macclesfield Town looks even bleaker after yesterday’s game against Plymouth was postponed.
It came at the end of another tumultuous week for the cash-strapped Silkmen.
On Wednesday, there had been a rare piece of good news. A winding-up petition over an unpaid tax bill was adjourned by the High Court for the ninth time.
A lawyer representing HM Revenue & Customs told Judge Sally Barber that the League Two club’s bosses said payment had been made. The hearing was adjourned until January 15 to allow time for the payment to clear.
However, matters quickly went downhill after that. The following day, the Silkmen were deducted six points, subject to appeal, for breaching EFL regulations. The punishment, applied immediately, saw Macclesfield slip to third bottom in League Two.
An EFL statement said: “At a hearing today the club pleaded guilty to multiple charges in respect of non-payment of players on applicable due dates and also the non-fulfilment of a fixture in relation to its match with Crewe Alexandra, originally scheduled to take place on December 7, 2019.
“The (independent discliplinary) commission, appointed in accordance with EFL Regulations, heard representations from both the EFL and Macclesfield Town, determining that a sporting sanction of 10 points, with four suspended, was appropriate when considering both the aggravating and mitigating factors in the case.
“The six-point deduction will be applied immediately with the decision remaining subject to appeal.”
If that wasn’t bad enough, there was further pain to Sanction come on Friday. After a day of considerable confusion, the EFL announced in the evening that yesterday’s match was off.
In a statement, the EFL said: “Macclesfield Town’s fixture with Plymouth Argyle will not go ahead as planned on Saturday, December 21 after the club was issued with a zero capacity notice by the local Safety
Advisory Group
(SAG).
“The notice was served by the SAG on
Thursday and the club, with the assistance of the EFL, had spent the intervening 24 hours working on a solution in respect of the outstanding inspections and tests required at the Moss Rose Stadium that would ensure the capacity was reinstated. Request “Despite making significant progress the SAG is not satisfied all its requirements have been met and have maintained the capacity of the stadium at zero, resulting in the club informing the League it would not be in a position to fulfil the fixture with supporters in attendance.
“The club did request to play behind closed doors, however on consideration, as per the provisions in Regulation 33.1, the EFL did not agree to the request. “The core principles behind EFL competitions are that all its fixtures are to be played in front of spectators and playing behind closed doors significantly increases the risks of crowds congregating in the vicinity of the stadium.
“As a result of the game not going ahead, the club will be charged with misconduct for failing to fulfil its fixture obligations.
“The club received a sixpoint deduction on Thursday after pleading guilty to charges of non-payment of wages and failure to fulfil its fixture obligations. A further four points were suspended as a result of the charges.”
One consequence is that the four suspended points are likely to be taken off their tally in the near future, taking them to the foot of the table.
It adds to the pressure on owner Amar Alkadhi, who denied the club had asked the EFL to play the game behind closed doors, to sell up.