League One salary cap fallout continues as Accrington Stanley chairman hits out

The rules were introduced last summer and limited Sunderland and their League One rivals to an annual wage spend of £2.5 million.

Many clubs were in favour of the change however the Black Cats were firmly against the measure, which affected their transfer business both last summer and in the recent January window.

The Professional Footballers’ Association challenged the rules, arguing that the EFL had failed in their remit to consult properly with the Professional Football Negotiating and Consultative Committee when introducing the cap.

On Tuesday evening, leading sports lawyer Nick De Marco revealed his major role in the overturning of the League One salary cap – a decision that has major benefits for Sunderland.

But the tweet drew criticism from Stanley chairman Holt.

He posted: “When you’re finished preening yourself about your ability to beat @EFL in court......I want rules that would keep you lot a million miles away from our game. It’s a toss up for me who’s worse for the game. You lot or administrators.

“You’re taking candy off a baby, pipe down.”

As a result of the successful challenge, League One clubs will revert to the less stringent Salary Cost Management Protocols for the time being.

Those rules say that a club can only spend 60% of its turnover on wages, but owners can inject equity to support turnover.

The change in the rules has a benefit for Sunderland and other big-hitters in the EFL, whose turnover can dwarf that of other clubs, and allows them to splash the cash on new players.

It could hold extra significance for the Black Cats if their takeover by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is approved.

De Marco took to social media to confirm that he was part of the PFA’s legal team on the case.

He tweeted a link to the website of his firm, Blackstone Chambers, along with the caption: “Delighted to have successfully represented the PFA in this important case about football salary caps.”

De Marco and Blackstone Chambers are also set to represent Mike Ashley and Newcastle United in their legal battle with the Premier League.

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