When Hull City won promotion back to the Premier League by beating Middlesbrough in the play-off final it came with guaranteed riches of about £200m.
Yet in a strange twist, winning that game means Hull must sell players before the end of the month to avoid a potential points deduction in the Premier League.
The Tigers have an overspend of about £6m on their profit and sustainability (PSR) calculation. Under English Football League rules, that could lead to a six-point penalty.
It is a breach caused by promotion bonuses included in the players’ contracts.
Had Hull lost to Boro, they would not be in danger of exceeding the maximum losses of £39m for the past three seasons and there would be no points penalty in the Championship.
When the Premier League fixtures are published on Friday morning (10:00 BST), the East Yorkshire club will have more than just their opening matches to think about.
‘We have overspent and we have t penalty.
Credit: bbc
