Brighton & Hove Albion have been fined £20,000 by the Premier League for breaking youth development rules.
They have also received a six-month ban, suspended for one year, from registering any academy players currently or previously registered with another club.
Brighton admitted breaching a rule which prevents clubs from approaching or communicating with a player registered with or entering into a pre-registration agreement with a different club.
The case concerned a player who joined another club’s academy under 10s in 2017 and signed a pre-scholarship offer in 2022.
Brighton’s initial position was that first discussions with the player took place at the beginning of July this year, after the June 30 deadline when the player’s registration elapsed.
A Premier League investigation and an internal inquiry by Brighton identified 24 instances of contact with the player from April — two months before the player’s registration expired.
The Premier League said in a statement: “The league is grateful for the proactive and collaborative approach adopted by the club, which has resulted in significant mitigation being applied to the sanction.
“Upon becoming aware of the full circumstances, the club disclosed the breach to the League, conducted an internal investigation and acted in a transparent and cooperative manner at every point.”
Brighton have been approached for comment.
(Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
