The EFL has handed Swindon Town a financial penalty over breaches of league regulations concerning late payments.

Swindon will receive a £2,000 fine and a two-window transfer fee restriction over late payments of over 30 days within the current 12-month period, which included late payments to HMRC and a third-party club.

A statement on the EFL said: "As permitted by EFL Regulations, the Club opted to appeal both the fine and fee restriction on the basis that the sanction was disproportionate to the offence committed by the Club. The matter was referred to an independent Disciplinary Commission.   

"On review of the case, the Commission has determined that the three-transfer window fee restriction should be reduced to two with the second window (August 2024) suspended and triggered upon a further breach. The Club is still required to pay the £2,000 fine."

The judgement reveals that the club had accrued 39 late payment days, which included payments seven days late to HMRC in June 2023 (for which they were notified in July 2023), five days late to HMRC in October 2023, and late payment of ticket monies to a third-party club for 27 days.

Swindon exercised their right and sent an appeal letter to the EFL after being initially notified in November to have their punishment reduced as they believed the punishment to be disproportionate to the offence, with the punishment initially being the fine with a three-window restriction.

Following this the punishment was reduced by an independent expert to a fine of £2,000 and the club was prohibited from paying a transfer fee, compensation fee, loan fee, or loan other form of payment apart from a sell-on fee for players for two transfer windows, starting with this window, with the second window being suspended.

The second window would be the summer transfer window and this would be triggered if the club has further late payments before June 2024, were this to happen it could also result in further sanctions.

Clubs in the EFL are not permitted to default on payments to other clubs and HMRC for more than ten days before receiving a written warning, for more than 20 days before receiving a fine, and for more than 30 days to be handed a transfer window fee restriction.

Swindon were initially sent a letter by the EFL on November 10 2023 for accruing these late payments in the period starting from July 31 2023.