Queens Park Rangers to learn £57.9million fine verdict in ruling that could hit Bournemouth and Leicester

QUEENS PARK RANGERS will find out this month if they are to be hit with a £57.9million fine for breaching spending rules when they won promotion to the Premier League.

The Championship club are challenging EFL regulations which will leave them facing the hefty bill for flouting the laws when they secured promotion to the top flight three years ago.

The League put strict regulations in place limiting the amount of loss a club could make each year in effort to prevent clubs falling into debt chasing the dream of Premier League football.

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They were also introduced in an effort to level the playing field giving properly run clubs an equal opportunity to gain promotion to those bankrolled by rich benefactors.

At the time when QPR were promoted, the EFL's Fair Play rules restricted clubs to a maximum loss of £8m and the London club reported a loss of £9.8m for the 2013-14 season.

But they also wrote off £60m in loans by transferring that figure as an 'exceptional item' - an accountancy trick the EFL says is not permitted.

QPR are challenging the legality of the rules in the knowledge they will likely be hit with a huge fine if they fail in their argument.

And their case will be heard by an arbitration panel comprising of three QCs next week, with a ruling set before the end of this month.

Premier League clubs Bournemouth and Leicester will both be keeping a keen eye on the outcome of the case, having themselves fallen foul of the same spending regulations.

They have both challenged the League's attempts to hit them with a fine for posting big losses in the seasons they gained promotion to the top flight.