Credit: Imago/@dcfcofficial

James Barker

Wed 15 April 2026 7:00, UK

West Bromwich Albion are reportedly unlikely to face a financial punishment if found guilty of their alleged PSR breach, which is how Derby County were punished in their previous case.

Reports surfaced earlier this week that the EFL were charging West Brom with an alleged breach of their profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

Under the current PSR laws, no club is allowed to record a loss that exceeds £39million over a three-year period, which is what Albion are alleged to have done.

Should they be found guilty, then there are a couple of different ways their punishment could be handed out, with either a fine or an immediate points deduction.

However, it now appears as though West Brom won’t be hit with a financial penalty if they are indeed ruled to be in breach of the EFL’s PSR legislations.

Why West Brom are unlikely to face a fine if guilty of PSR breach

West Brom’s PSR charge has been a shock to both the football club and its fans, as well as the wider football community in general.

Just when James Morrison‘s side are well on their way to securing their Championship status for another season, they now face the prospect of a points deduction that would throw them right back into serious danger.

And, according to a report from Alan Nixon via Patreon on Tuesday, it’s indeed a points deduction that is likely to be West Brom’s punishment if they are found guilty of their charges.

His report claims that two “normally well-informed” Championship insiders have told him that an independent hearing into Albion’s case has already taken place.

This could be very controversial indeed, as Nixon’s report continues by stating that the Baggies should’ve been made aware of the EFL’s charge, and thus given the right to appeal it, before the independent panel talks over their decision.

He then says that the only other case that compares to this one is Derby County’s, when they were fined £100,000 by an independent disciplinary commission in June 2021 over their accounting policies.

As reported via BBC Sport at the time, the EFL had the option to appeal that and push for a points deduction instead, which Nixon’s report states that this is what they indeed wanted to do.

However, Nixon claims that a fine is “unlikely” to be the chosen punishment for West Brom if found guilty this time around, and that would see them hit with a points deduction that would be imposed this season.

Derby County were soon hit with points deductions

That aforementioned summer 2021 fine for Derby is not where their PSR story ended, however.

Indeed, in September 2021, Derby went into administration, and doing so instantly brings about a 12-point deduction.

If that wasn’t enough, in mid-November of that same year, the Rams admitted to breaching EFL accounting rules, and were deducted a further nine points, taking their total to a 21-point deduction for that 2021-22 season.

Wayne Rooney’s side fought valiantly against it that term, and almost did the impossible and stayed in the Championship, but they were ultimately relegated to League One.

So, that’s proof of how fast things can snowball in these situations, and so West Brom need to navigate these coming weeks and months with extreme caution, whether they’re found guilty or not.