Reading FC fined £200,000 for breaching FA rules
Four individuals also punished by the FA
Last updated 15th May 2024
Reading football club has been fined £200,000 for breaking FA rules over a player sale in 2019.
Four individuals - including the club's takeover negotiator Nigel Howe - have also been punished.
The club say he will be able to continue in the role for now despite the ban.
Extremely disappointed
The club said in a statement:
"Last month, an independent regulatory commission found Reading Football Club and three of its staff members – Nigel Howe, Sue Hewett and Michael Gilkes to have breached FA Rule E9 and Regulation E5 of the Regulations on Working with Intermediaries. The charges related to a single agent negotiation in 2019.
"The Club and each staff member, as well as the agent involved, were charged separately and recently attended a secondary hearing to determine the appropriate sanctions for the offence. At the sanction hearing, the regulatory commission imposed an agreed sanction of a reprimand and warning as to future conduct on both Sue Hewett (club football secretary) and Michael Gilkes (academy manager).
"Nigel Howe has been fined £5,000 and issued an immediate six-month suspension from involvement with player contract negotiations and transfer related activity, and a further six-month suspension from all football related activity to commence upon the expiry of the first suspension.
"The sanctions imposed will not immediately affect Nigel’s role in leading the sale of Reading Football Club. At the present time, Nigel is still considering his position in respect of this matter and the sanctions to be imposed.
"The Club would like to state publicly that it is extremely disappointed with the decision and with the fact that, in addition to charges against the Club, charges were brought against individual club officials who were acting to protect a valuable club asset and ultimately the best interests of Reading Football Club.
"All clubs are extremely vulnerable to losing talented players that they have spent many years nurturing and developing. It remains a challenge to navigate and negotiate such deals in the best interests of the football club and these young players. On this one occasion, the Club’s conduct fell short of the high standards with which we usually operate, and the Club is committed to ensuring this will not happen again.
"Nigel, Sue and Michael, have each worked for and represented Reading FC in an exemplary fashion for over twenty years. There has been no prior history of offences, nor any since. The Club will continue offering the relevant support to the individuals concerned.
"The Club views these sanctions as excessive, in particular when considered in comparison to sanctions handed down in a previous case, which involved another professional football club and multiple breaches of The FA’s Intermediary Regulations over a ten year period. In our view, in that context, the treatment handed down to Reading Football Club, for a stand-alone, one-off incident seems exceptionally harsh.
"Further, the Club’s view is that it has been far from satisfactory that The FA investigation into this matter has been extremely protracted, with the single player negotiation in question occurring five years ago. The FA commenced its investigations a considerable amount of time after the conduct in question and the disciplinary charges were issued two years later. Now, some five years later, the matter has finally been heard and a decision issued.
"Despite the length of time this matter has taken, Reading Football Club and its staff members fully cooperated at all times with The FA’s investigation and conducted themselves properly and in a totally transparent manner throughout.
Read the FA ruling here