The club are prepped and ready for the big appeal hearing
It’s been another bonkers summer at Hull City. As we prepare for the start of the new Championship season this weekend, attention is not entirely on events at the CBS Arena.
City are embroiled in an appeal against a ban preventing them from buying players, or paying loan fees for new players which has severely impacted their transfer business this summer, and their appeal is being heard on Wednesday.
The club has still managed to make some good signings, but they’ve also missed out on prime targets because of their situation, which will have come as a major frustration.
Here, Hull Live looks at where things are at…
What’s the situation?
The Tigers, as it stands, cannot pay transfer or loan fees to sign new players under the terms of the three-window transfer fee restriction the EFL imposed on them at the beginning of July. Any players they do sign have to be free transfers or loan deals with no fee paid to the parent club.
As an example, Joel Ndala has arrived from Manchester City for the season. While City can pay towards his wages, they will not have paid a loan fee to complete the deal, nor are they allowed to insert an option or obligation to buy the player next summer, which is something we see so often.
How did we get here?
City were slapped with a three-window fee restriction by the EFL at the beginning of July after accumulating 30 days or more of late payments in the 12-month period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025. They were also handed a transfer embargo for late transfer payments to Aston Villa and Manchester City, respectively, over Louie Barry and Fin Burns’ loan moves, though they were removed after monies were paid.
It’s believed the EFL have had concerns about City’s cashflow and ability to keep up with payments for some time, so have taken action in a bid to resolve it, something Ilicali refutes.
Some also think the EFL is being a little heavy-handed with the Tigers, given what has happened at Sheffield Wednesday and Reading, and their determination to be seen as stamping down on clubs that they believe have financial concerns.
Sources have indicated that the EFL knows the three-window ban is a serious, significant punishment. It is so strong that it does give room for manoeuvre on appeal, provided the club in question has its house in order.
Has the club said anything?
After being made aware of their embargo – which has since been lifted – and the fee restriction ban, the club issued a short statement but have said nothing publicly since.
“Hull City can confirm that we have received notification from the EFL that the Club is subject to a transfer embargo and a three-window fee restriction with immediate effect. We will appeal the three-window fee restriction and are confident of resolving the matter as soon as possible.”
Head coach Sergej Jakirovic has spoken regularly to Hull Live during pre-season about his hope that the panel, and the EFL, work with City to find a solution.
What about Acun Ilicali?
In his conversations with Hull Live over the past month, the Turkish businessman has maintained the club’s finances are in good health and says Acun Medya made a £3m deposit in the club’s account to help pay bills last month. The owner also wrote an open letter to supporters to explain his version of events, which you can read below…
“It is clear there has been a lot of misinformation circulating in the last few days, so I wanted to clarify a few matters,” he said. “There are zero issues between us and Aston Villa, in relation to both Louie Barry and Jaden Philogene arrangements, and we are very confident in our appeal case.
“The Fin Burns situation is actually quite simple. We intended to use proceeds of a player sale to settle this fee and as soon as the EFL told us this wasn’t possible – due to reasons not related to us, we made a direct payment immediately to end the matter.
“With regards to payments to suppliers, unfortunately, the club experienced a cash flow issue when it didn’t receive a £1.5m payment for a player which was intended to clear invoices from suppliers. I will cover this shortfall until we receive the funds we are owed and our team are in communication with all suppliers to rectify any outstanding issues as soon as possible.
“When I spoke with our fans last week, I told them the club is losing money and I am supporting when required. The club will always have my full backing whenever it needs it.
“I want to reassure our fans that we have zero conflict with any clubs. Perhaps there were some finance administrative errors but I am sure the EFL will be understanding to our appeal and we are confident in our case.
“People are entitled to their opinions and to write a different story, that is life, but I will always be behind our club. Our squad has £100m potential, we have a very good coach, the best fans and if we are united together we can achieve our dreams.”
What happens next
City have had to be patient to have their appeal heard, but it will take place on Wednesday afternoon. The hearing with a three-person independent panel will be held with the club’s lawyers via Zoom.
Once that hearing is complete, the panel will make their judgment, which is expected to be revealed within 48 hours. The EFL are pressing for a strong punishment, while City want it reduced at the very least, or ideally, scrapped altogether.
Is there a worst case scenario?
The worst possible outcome for City is that the three-window fee restriction is upheld, meaning they cannot buy any players until January 2027. That’s a severe punishment and would be a major blow to the club moving forward, though that is viewed by those with knowledge of the case as unlikely.
What’s the best case scenario?
In all likelihood, the restriction will be reduced. It could be to one window, or it could be scrapped altogether. That’s probably unlikely in truth, but there is precedent for City getting to walk away with their tail firmly between their legs.
In June last year, Oxford United’s appeal was successful against their three-window fee restriction. It was reduced to a one-window ban, suspended for two years along with a statutory £3,500 fine. If Regulation 52.6.3 is breached during that period, the one-window ban would be triggered.
How good are their chances?
City believe they have a strong case to at least have it reduced, if not removed altogether. They have paperwork from Aston Villa relating to Louie Barry’s loan move, which they feel puts them in the clear and are confident the panel will find in their favour, while Ilicali will feel his explanation regarding Fin Burns is also sufficient. Ultimately, nobody knows at this stage what the outcome will be, aside from the fact that it’s almost certain to be reduced in some form.
Quite how things look after the hearing remains to be seen. Irrespective, at least the club and its supporters will know exactly what they are dealing with going into Saturday’s first game of the season at Coventry City.
What deals have been done?
Well, Gustavo Puerta’s £3m move from Bayer Leverkusen has been put on hold. City’s argument is that they should be allowed to sign him because they had planned on selling him on this summer.
Reda Laalaoui’s £400,000 transfer from FUS Rabat in Morocco is also on hold for the same reasons, but despite that, the club have still been active.
In a bid to free up squad space and bring in money, the club have sold a host of players this summer, including Alfie Jones, Steven Alzate, Sean McLoughlin and Xavier Simons. They’ve also loaned out Mason Burstow, Matty Jacobs and Abdus Omur.
Crucially, a flurry of incomings have brought squad depth to Jakirovic’s ranks. John Lundstram, Semi Ajayi and Akin Famewo are amongst those new arrivals, while the club are also closing in on the capture of Oliver McBurnie and remain in talks with Leeds United over bringing Joe Gelhardt back to the MKM Stadium.
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