Leeds lose appeal against 15-point deduction

LONDON (Reuters) - Third division Leeds United lost their appeal on Thursday against a 15-point deduction for the start of the new season, the Football League said.

The deduction had been applied by the Football League last week following the club's change of ownership in July, when chairman Ken Bates bought the debt-ridden club from administrators KPMG.

Though the league cleared Leeds to start the season, their board also docked points as the club had not complied with the league's insolvency policy.

League chairman Brian Mawhinney told Sky Sports that a meeting of the second, third and fourth division clubs on Thursday had voted overwhelmingly in favour of the sanction.

"Overwhelmingly means...the vote was over 75 percent in support of the board, which means that Leeds United are starting the new season in League One as a valued member of the league's football family, but with a penalty of 15 points," he said.

"The matter is now over, done and concluded."

The decision was savaged though by Leeds, whose chairman Bates has finally taken control of the club after his earlier bid had been challenged by creditors HM Revenue and Customs.

In a statement on their Web site (www.leedsunited.com) entitled "Leeds United 0 Taxman 1 (of Football League)", the club blamed the league for the result of Thursday's vote.

"Leeds United are amazed by the perverse outcome of Thursday's meeting... which defied all logic, and we believe had arisen as a result of a serious misrepresentation of fact by the board of the Football League in their presentation.  Continued...