League One side Reading will defend themselves after the EFL charged the club for missing wage payment deadlines on three occasions, the Reading Chronicle has revealed.

Already in turmoil with the Royals’ attempts to appoint Chris Wilder failing to come to fruition and the club yet to appoint a new manager, it was revealed yesterday that the club had been charged by the EFL after missing deadlines to pay their players in October and November last year and April this year.

Owner Dai Yongge has also been charged for a breach of EFL regulations, with both him and the club having until Thursday 29th June to respond to the charges against them.

This isn’t the first time that the Berkshire outfit have been in hot water with the EFL, receiving a six-point deduction in November 2021 for breaching financial rules and being given a further six-point deduction during the latter stages of last term for not sticking to their business plan.

Although they were set to have their embargo lifted at the start of next month, it’s unclear whether that will still happen after this charge, with the club’s punishment for this latest misdemeanour yet to be revealed.

What was Dayong Pang’s response to this latest charge from the EFL?

CEO Pang took the opportunity to write a letter to staff following this news and tried to provide reassurances that wages will be paid in time and in full in the future.

He wrote: “Myself and our owner, Mr Dai, were very disappointed to learn of the EFL charge which has been issued today, following the late payment of players’ wages – this is a charge we are prepared to defend.

“I fully appreciate that – due to complex and unforeseen cashflow issues we are tackling – staff payroll has unfortunately been impacted on a couple of these occasions.

“This is unacceptable and I would like to personally reassure you that wages will be satisfied in full, as normal, come the end of this month and going forward.”

What next for Reading?

Quite frankly, this is unacceptable and it’s proven to be the final straw for some Reading supporters.

Not only have there been late wage payments, but the lack of communication from the owner is unforgivable and so is the overspending.

When Mr Dai took over, the Royals were 90 minutes away from Premier League football but they now find themselves in the third tier and at real risk of falling further down the English football pyramid.

The men’s first team has been relegated, the academy has been downgraded to Category Two and the women’s team has gone part-time.

With this in mind, it comes as no real shock that the club’s supporters trust (STAR) and fan groups The Tilehurst End, Elm Park Royals, Club 1871 and Proud Royals have all come together to discuss what should be done next.