Derby County: Club vows to fight EFL appeal against decision to clear them of spending breaches

Derby start their 2020-21 Championship campaign against Reading at Pride Park on Saturday

Derby County say they will "vigorously resist" the English Football League's appeal against a decision to clear the Championship club of spending breaches.

In August an independent disciplinary tribunal said the Rams did not break rules over its valuation of Pride Park.

But the EFL is challenging the dismissal of a second charge over how they measured the value of players.

"The club is surprised and disappointed to hear the EFL has decided to appeal," a Derby statement said.

The Rams have always claimed their player registration policy had been approved at EFL executive level and their continued use of it had been based on that approval.

While the tribunal stated the wording of their policy could have been "clearer", the Rams were exonerated by the panel.

Normally, clubs spread the transfer fee paid for a player over the course of their contract, a £10m player on a five-year deal essentially costing £2m a year until their value reaches £0 on expiry of their stay.

What Derby do within their accounting, and amortisation - essentially the value of the players within the squad - is add a residual value to a player when they come to the end of their contract - an anticipated transfer fee - thus lowering amortisation costs.

"If the EFL is concerned about the wider implications of the ruling then it has always been open to it to recommend a rule change requiring defined amortisation policies, but it has not done so," Derby's statement continued.

"The club believes that pursuing a case based on conflicting opinions about accounting policies which, even if the EFL succeeded, would have only led to the club re-submitting its P&S calculations, is a further waste of the EFL's resources and an unnecessary distraction to the club."