QPR not for sale despite record FFP fine, insists director of football Les Ferdinand
QPR director of football Les Ferdinand has reassured fans that the club’s owners have no intention of selling up, following their record fine for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.
The club must pay £17million and convert £21.965m of loans into equity as a punishment for breaking regulations during their 2013-14 promotion season.
It is the latest setback for the consortium led by chairman Tony Fernandes since they took over in 2011. In that time they suffered two relegations and last year Uefa ranked QPR as Europe’s fifth most debt-ridden club, owing £279m.
In an exclusive interview with Standard Sport, Ferdinand said: “When I speak to the owners, I never hear any suggestion they’ve had enough.
“If you lose the kind of money they have, of course you’re going to be upset. But it’s not to the degree they’re wanting to go.
“They want QPR to be successful and are doing everything to make it happen.”
As part of their FFP punishment, QPR were given a transfer ban for next January but they can still sign players under certain conditions.
Ferdinand said: “Should someone go, we can bring in a free transfer on up to 75 per cent of the previous player’s salary. So if the player we let go was on £10,000 a week, we can get a free transfer on up to £7,500 a week.”
