Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp has labelled threats to expel the London club from the Championship if they are relegated from the Premier League as "unrealistic".
This week saw the chief executive of the Football League, which governs the three English divisions immediately below the Premier League, warn QPR they faced a £40 million ($64 million, 50 million euros) fine and even possible expulsion for breaching financial fair play rules while in the second-tier Championship.
QPR's Malaysian businessman owner, Tony Fernandes, has long promised to contest a fine or fight any other punishment, although the club will have to submit last year's accounts by December 1 if they are to avoid the prospect of a financial penalty.
"There would have to be quite a few kicked out if that were to happen, wouldn't there?" Redknapp said Friday, ahead of QPR's league match away to big-spenders Manchester United on Sunday.
"I think it's unrealistic, and I don't see it happening."
Financial fair play rules in both England and Europe are designed to stop clubs spending more than they earn and thus risk going out of business, as nearly happened to 2008 English FA Cup winners Portsmouth.
However, critics argue that in practice all this does is entrench an existing elite group of sides, with other clubs denied the financial boost that comes from a wealthy new owner looking to challenge leading teams.
"To make it fair play we should be able to spend as much as Man United before we play them on Sunday shouldn't we?," said Redknapp. "What is fair play? I don't know.
"One team can spend £200million on a team, another team might spend £8million on a team, and that's not fair play is it.
"Fair play would be everybody having a maximum of £30million a year to spend on their team, produce some kids out of the youth team and work harder with the players they've got.
"To call it fair play, the whole league isn't fair play: you've got seven teams at the top on another planet.
"I don't know what the rules are to be honest, but the owners have brought a few players in.
"We've lost (Loic) Remy but we've spent maybe £20 million above the Remy money, so the owners have been fantastic, the effort to help us compete."
Source: AFP
