Wycombe Wanderers still have an outside chance of being reinstated as a Championship club after Derby County were fined £100,000 for breaching EFL financial rules.

The footballing body confirmed that the Rams will be penalised with the fine late on Wednesday evening [June 23], one day before the new fixtures for the Championship, League One and League Two were released.

Wayne Rooney’s men survived relegation to the third tier of English football on the final day of the season [May 8] after they drew 3-3 with Sheffield Wednesday.

This result not only kept them up, but it also sent down the Owls, Wanderers and Rotherham United to League One. 

What the EFL said

READ MORE: Wycombe's League One fixtures are out...but the club could still be a Championship side next season

The EFL also confirmed that a 'disciplinary process' is being 'finalised’, for the former Premier League side, which could see them relegated to League One as an additional punishment.

This could mean Gareth Ainsworth’s men could be back in England's second tier despite finishing third from bottom in the Championship table, one point off safety.

In their statement, the EFL said: “An independent Disciplinary Commission has delivered its verdict on sanctions for Derby County relating to ongoing disciplinary proceedings.

Bucks Free Press: Matt Bloomfield scored against Derby County back in November (Prime Media)Matt Bloomfield scored against Derby County back in November (Prime Media)

“In May, an Independent League Arbitration Panel ruled that the Disciplinary Commission was wrong to dismiss the League’s expert accountancy evidence, which demonstrated that the Club’s policy regarding the amortisation of player registrations was contrary to standard accounting rules. 

What the club have said

“More specifically, the panel determined that the Club’s policy was not in accordance with accounting standard FRS102 because it failed to accurately reflect the manner in which the Club takes the benefit of player registrations over the lifetime of a player’s contract. 

READ MORE: The importance of keeping Uche Ikpeazu and Anis Mehmeti for Wycombe's season back in League One

“Tonight [June 23], the Disciplinary Commission has announced that the sanction to be imposed in respect of those breaches, is a financial penalty of £100,000 to be paid to the EFL and a reprimand for the Club as to its future conduct regarding the preparation of its Annual Accounts.

“In addition, the Club has also been ordered to file restated accounts for financial years ending 30 June 2016, 2017 and 2018 that meet the requirements of FRS102, together with updated Profit & Sustainability calculations if necessary.

Bucks Free Press: It was the first meeting between the two sides in their history (Prime Media)It was the first meeting between the two sides in their history (Prime Media)

“Both Derby County and the EFL have the right to appeal that sanction decision.

“That being the case, ahead of the publication of the 2021/22 season fixture lists on 24 June at 9am, the EFL can confirm that it has developed an interchangeable fixture list for Derby County and Wycombe Wanderers, while the disciplinary process is finalised.

What Derby have said

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“The fixture list for both the Championship and League One will be published in full based on the 2020/21 final standings, pending any appeals relating to this decision.”

Last season, Wanderers at Derby faced each other for the first time in their respective histories.

In the first fixture, Matt Bloomfield scored a late equaliser as Wanderers left the Midlands with a point following a 1-1 draw in November.

Bucks Free Press: Derby County manager Wayne Rooney (PA)Derby County manager Wayne Rooney (PA)

In the return fixture in February, Andre Wisdom scored an injury-time winner to seal a 2-1 win for Rooney's men at Adams Park.