Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace wants automatic points penalties

| 12 August 2020

Macclesfield's relegation has handed Stevenage a reprieve.

Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace has called for automatic points penalties after Macclesfield were relegated following an EFL appeal.

The Silkmen dropped into the National League after the EFL won an appeal against a points deduction, giving Stevenage a reprieve.

In June, Macclesfield were docked two points with four suspended for breaches of regulations relating to non-payment of wages but the four points will now be applied immediately, dropping the Silkmen to the foot of the table.

Stevenage now retain their Sky Bet League Two status despite having finished bottom when the season was ended prematurely by the coronavirus pandemic.

📝 Silkmen issue a brief update following yesterday’s Appeal Hearing decision.https://t.co/5uSPME73Aj

— Macclesfield Town (@thesilkmen) August 12, 2020

Wallace told the PA news agency: “The sanctions have to be swifter and clearer. Perhaps automatic sanctions need to be in place, which is what we called for at last year’s AGM.

“You’ve got a choice, you can pay your players on time or choose not to and if you choose not to you get a three-point deduction, then six points, then nine and 12.

“There is a choice, don’t do it. Unless it’s like that, we’re going to have clubs take advantage – if there’s no deterrent. Most importantly in this case there would have been no consequences.

“It’s important the EFL appealed, they wanted to put their foot down. Clubs are crying out for clarity.

“What a waste of energy to go through, why don’t we get sanctions in place we all agree with, we know exactly what they are and if you break them this is what happens. It’s not difficult.

“We don’t understand how these panels could be so lenient. How you can systematically breach the system and the more you do it the less the penalty? It’s not the world we live in.

“The lessons to be learned are you have to get to these things sooner. This is a March charge and here we are in August.”

Macclesfield have been deducted 17 points in total over the course of the 2019-20 season, across three disciplinary cases, and now finish three points below Stevenage.

“We couldn’t control it, it wasn’t our appeal. It’s a massive relief,” added Wallace.

“We believe it was wholly wrong and it was unduly lenient. We couldn’t see the logic in it and we weren’t the only club to feel like that and obviously the EFL did as well.”