Bates threats with appeal despite waiver

Ken Bates surprisingly was stunned that the Football League followed through with its threat to dock the club 15 points, and claims he might appeal to the FA.

Trouble is, despite Bates' rants, Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney said the club already had signed off that it would not file legal action.

Fifty-six of the 71 club chairmen voted to uphold a 15-point penalty for the way Leeds has been mishandled this year, which has included a constant assault from Revenue & Customs.

"We're considering a number of options and one of them can be an appeal to the Football Association. "One of the things we'll consider is that the Football League in its constitution have no power to do what they did. "In the Premier League, which the FA helped set up, any problems of a serious disciplinary nature are decided by an independent tribunal. "That means that you come up with a decision that is at least independent. No club has an influence or a bearing on the punishment or otherwise of a fellow club," Bates told Yorkshire Radio.

"But it was the Inland Revenue's attitude that prevented us from coming out of administration in the usual way," Bates added, "If the taxman hadn't opposed us we would have got our share back without any sanctions. "Because the taxman made it impossible for us to come out (of administration) in the normal way we've been docked 15 points. It's bloody ridiculous."

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