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IT GETS WORSE FOR POMPEY

No team wants to face a penalty situation, but for a club whose books are already in disarray, a possible ten-point deduction in next season's kick off is an especially unwelcome prospect for the Portsmouth Club.

The third-tier English football team was relegated from second division last year. In addition, they are struggling to restructure their finances from the current position of £60 million in the red. A possible sale of the club may also be in the works.

Any new owners will be faced with league-imposed constraints on expenditures and new debt, as a requirement for league membership. These conditions will be in place for the next five years.

One possible new owner is Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai who originally took over administration of the club in 2010 and handed it over to Russian tycoon Vladimir Antonov in 2011. As a result of financial irregularities allegedly made by Antonov, the club was placed into its current shaky situation. Definitley not an easy football bet for the premier league fans.

Chainrai may resume control of the beleaguered club, though he has voiced a preference to let a community-based organization take over the team. One such prospect is the Pompey Supporters Trust, which is promoting a grass-roots effort to save the team.