EFL announce charges against Morecambe and club owner

Following the late payment of March’s wages, the Shrimps were charged with misconduct for failing to comply with Regulation 64.7 which states: “The terms of a Standard Contract between a Club and a Player shall be strictly adhered to.”

The club admitted to being in breach and accepted an Agreed Decision which, as well as including EFL and ratification costs, also came with another sanction.

That was a suspended three-point deduction for the 2023/2024 season, to expire on June 30, 2024 if it wasn’t activated.

However, it would become active if there was a failure to pay players on time before that date or if the club’s owner failed to deposit an amount equal to 125 per cent of the forecast monthly wage bill – gross/before tax deductions – in a designated club bank account for calling upon by the club in the event of any future delays in processing of overseas payments.

There were also obligations around reporting on the operation of the account, as well as a duty to maintain it at appropriate levels and a time limit of June 30, 2024 for its operation – provided there was no call on the amounts during that period.

The EFL said that any failure to do so would breach the Agreed Decision, trigger the suspended sanction and may result in misconduct charges against Whittingham.

Confirming the charges on Monday afternoon, the EFL said: “In August, funds were deposited in line with the agreement for a previous failure to pay the club’s wage bill, however on September 4, those funds were used and Whittingham failed to redeposit the amount, despite requests from the League.

“Mr Whittingham’s failure to redeposit the funds has led to personal charges, while the club has also been charged for failing to meet deposit account requirements.

“The charges will now be considered by an independent Disciplinary Commission with the outcome to be communicated by the EFL once a decision is reached.”

It’s another chapter in the club’s off-field saga, which saw them put up for sale 15 months ago with no purchase having been completed since.

That sense of limbo culminated in the board effectively giving Whittingham a vote of no confidence in the sale process at the start of the month.

It also detracts from a fine first half of the season which sees an overhauled Morecambe squad eighth in League Two, despite releasing 14 players at the end of last season and last month’s departure of manager Derek Adams.

In response to the EFL’s statement, the Shrimps issued one from the board of directors, which reads: “Firstly, these are misconduct charges that have been referred by the EFL to an independent disciplinary commission to take place in the New Year.

“Bond Group have therefore instructed specialist sports lawyers to defend the club’s and the owner’s position at that commission.

“Secondly, the board remains focused on the priority of ensuring that Morecambe Football Club meets all its obligations, which means working with Bond Group to prevent cashflow issues and doing everything within its powers to expedite the process of finding new ownership as quickly as possible.”