EFL reveals new rule changes Birmingham City and West Brom need to be aware of

The EFL have confirmed a number of rules changes affecting Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and their Football League counterparts ahead of next season.

Blues and Albion are both preparing for another year in the Championship after finishing 17th and ninth respectively in 2022-23. And there will be some new regulations that they need to be aware of heading into the 2023-24 campaign.

New rules on issues such as club ownership, financial issues, potential transfer restrictions and multiball system during matches were voted through by EFL clubs at an annual general meeting on Thursday (June 8). The changes will be implemented with immediate effect.

The EFL – who recently approved Tom Wagner’s proposed Blues takeover – has provided a run-down of the new regulations, which are as follows…

OWNERS AND DIRECTORS’ TEST

New disqualifying conditions have been added to the Owners and Directors’ Test (OADT) to ensure that the EFL and Premier League’s tests remain aligned. The list of disqualifying conditions has been updated to include:

Disqualifying individuals who are subject to sanctions;

Prohibiting ownership by state entities from countries which are sanctioned;
Second (or further) bankruptcies/convictions/bans, even if expired or spent.
Convictions for violent offences;
Convictions for fraud of any kind;
Disqualification for wider corporate insolvencies;
Disqualifications by a wider range of Government bodies;
Having been removed as a trustee of a pension scheme by the Pensions’ Regulator or the Courts;
Expulsion of sporting clubs in other sports (eg. Rugby) as the League does for football clubs;
Expanding the period in which insolvency of a company/club counts against a director who has resigned from 30 days to one year; and
Reducing the definition of Control from 30% to 25%

The OADT has also been updated to treat anybody who is currently undergoing an investigation which may lead to a disqualifying condition, as being subject to a disqualifying condition until such time as they clear the allegations.