Gull City are in danger of being stripped of points in the Premier League due to Financial Fair Play

When Gull City beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in the play-off final at Wembley, it seemed that all the club's problems were behind them. This success guaranteed the team a financial infusion of around £200 million. However, the harsh reality of English football has made adjustments: the club currently has a £6 million overspend under Financial Fair Play rules. If the Tigers do not solve this problem by July 1, they are threatened with the removal of six points already in the Premier League. Interestingly, this financial hole is not related to bonuses for promotion in class - these payments are not taken into account in the current reporting period. The club would have faced a breach of financial fair play regardless of the outcome of the final. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire notes that Hull's losses in recent seasons have appeared "relatively modest", but only thanks to successful player sales (Jaden Philodgen and Jacob Greaves), which brought in £33m. Without taking into account the costs of infrastructure and the academy, the real overspend of the club could reach 17 million. Hall's owner, Akun Ilijali, did not hide the scale of the problem. At a meeting with fans, he frankly stated: "We have spent more than we need to and we will have to sell some players before July 1. I am not afraid. We have managed to cope with more difficult things. Now we are a Premier League team, the value of our players has increased, which is a big advantage." However, such public frankness can play a cruel joke on the club. Having openly admitted that time is running out and the team urgently needs money, Ilijali has lost some of his advantage in the transfer market - potential buyers know that Gall is backed into a corner and can accept undervalued offers. The difficulty is that many of the key performers (Joe Gelhardt, Amir Hadziakmetovic, John Lundstram and Lewis Koomas) have only played for the club on loan, so their departure will not bring the Tigers any money. The management categorically does not want to say goodbye to the leaders of the locker room, who forged this success. They include 26-year-old midfielder Regan Slater (fans' and team's player of the year) and 22-year-old defender Charlie Hughes. Hull have already rejected offers for Hughes and their goalkeeper Ivor Pandur, who is currently playing for Croatia at the World Cup. The most likely exit candidate is 24-year-old striker Kyle Joseph, who is showing serious interest from Championship clubs. His transfer could cover the lion's share of the debt. In addition, David Akintola, Abu Kamara and Casey Palmer are up for sale. According to the Financial Fair Play regulations, the limit on allowable losses is 39 million pounds. Exceeding this amount is severely punished: Up to 2 million pounds - minus 3 points; From 2 to 4 million pounds - minus 4 points; From 4 to 6 million pounds - minus 5 points; From 6 to 8 million pounds - minus 6 points. Cooperation between the Premier League and the English Football League has become much closer since the high-profile case of Leicester, who avoided punishment through legal loopholes last year. Now the leagues have synchronized the rules, so the penalty for infractions in the lower division is guaranteed to carry over to the elite. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Gall's rivals may sue for financial compensation. Precedents already exist: and Leeds are currently preparing a lawsuit against Leicester. Lawyers could potentially be sought by Middlesbrough, Millwall, Wrexham or Derby County, whose promotion chances have been scuppered by the team's financial breach. Gull City are just days away from finding a life-saving £6m and avoiding starting their Premier League journey deep in the bottom of the table. As of July 1, a new system for assessing the value of the squad will begin to operate in English football, but old debts will have to be settled according to the current rules.