The Football League have responded to the Leeds United’s writ over the missing 15 points, by inviting the club to enter a process of arbitration.
The club served a High Court writ on the League earlier this month, after running out of patience with the football authorities over a lack of progress in dealing with our challenge to the 15-point deduction. The League have now made an offer of arbitration on the day their deadline to respond was due to expire.
Ken Bates had plenty to say on the club’s official website. "The letter arrived from the League's solicitors suggesting that this should go to arbitration with a Court of Appeal judge. To quote their words 'impartiality and independence will be guaranteed and the competence of the tribunal will be par excellence'. Impartiality and independence is what we have been asking for all along”.
"What makes me laugh is that it has taken six months to get to this position, six months in which the League have refused to discuss the matter with us. Only now, with the writ having been issued, do they instruct their lawyers to come back to us. It is a long overdue development and the pleasing thing from our point of view is that a Court of Appeal judge will hear it. After a law lord they are the highest in the land. The decision to deduct us 15 points was purely one borne of self-interest on behalf of the other clubs."
The arbitration panel would consist of a neutral Court of Appeal judge plus one representative apiece nominated by Leeds and the League. But Bates has yet to confirm whether Leeds would accept the offer of arbitration, or whether we will continue to pursue the case through the courts. Bates told the Times "We will have to discuss what our next move is."
So far the League have made no comment on the legal action, but last week chairman Lord Mawhinney circulated a letter to all member clubs promising to fight the writ 'robustly'.