Rochdale FC: Club given suspended six-point deduction
- Published
Rochdale are 21st in League Two and two points above the relegation places
Rochdale have been given a six-point deduction by the English Football League, suspended for two years, for failure to comply with the league's regulations over an attempted takeover.
The club were charged by the EFL in March following an investigation after Morton House MGT's attempted takeover.
The charge related to a breach of the owners' and directors' test.
Dale pleaded guilty, with former CEO David Bottomley given a two-year ban from operating as a relevant person.
Bottomley, who has since worked chief operating officer at National League North side AFC Fylde, left Dale in June 2021 having been voted off the board by shareholders.
Andrew Curran and Darrell Rose were also given two-year bans by the EFL with Faical Safouane handed an 18-month ban for their role in the breaches of regulations.
In a statement the EFL said their actions "deprived" them of being able to carry out investigations into proposed business plans and the source and sufficiency of funding.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: "The updated owners' and directors' test is a crucial element of the EFL's regulatory responsibilities in the interests of all its member clubs, their supporters and everyone else involved or interested in football.
"The breaches in this case were serious as they deprived the EFL of the ability to carry out he necessary investigations into the identity of the proposed new owners, their proposed business plans, and the ultimate source and sufficiency of funding necessary to support those plans.
"These sanctions serve as an appropriate reminder to clubs, their officials and potential owners that disregarding those requirements can lead to significant consequences as this case has proved."