Leicester in 'fight for survival,' appoint Rowett

Leicester City have appealed a points deduction and appointed Gary Rowett as manager on a deal until the end of the season, with the side currently 22nd in the Championship and in the relegation zone.

The 50-year-old replaces Martí Cifuentes, who was dismissed in January following a run of poor results that saw the club win just one Championship match since the start of 2026 and plummet down the table.

Rowett returns to the King Power Stadium having 49 league appearances for the club as a player between 2000 and 2002, and managerial spells at clubs including Birmingham, Millwall, and most recently Oxford United.

"I'm really proud to be the new Leicester City manager and to have the opportunity to work with and lead a really talented group over the coming months," Rowett said.

"It's very clear to us all what needs to be achieved between now and the end of the season and the work begins immediately. I'm looking forward to building connections with the players, with the staff at the club and with all of fans -- all of which will be vital to helping us secure the results we need."

Club chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: "Gary is a manager with deep knowledge of the Championship and experience of the situation we now face in these final 14 games of the season -- a fight for survival in the division.

"It is a task on which the entire club is focused, and we will provide Gary with every support to help us find the solutions we need."

Leicester have 14 matches left in their league campaign, and Rowett's first task will be a visit to Stoke City on Jan. 21.

Their problems were worsened by a six-point deduction which was imposed on them by an independent commission earlier this month, after a breach of Profit and Sustainability Rules -- leaving them three away from safety -- but they have appealed against it.

The commission, which was appointed under Premier League rules, recommended the six-point sanction for the Foxes which was ratified at an EFL board meeting on February 5.

The Premier League said that to ensure certainty for all clubs and fans, it would be seeking to have the appeal resolved urgently -- before the end of the EFL season.

The deduction dropped Leicester from 17th to 20th in the Championship and they now sit in 22nd, within the second tier's relegation zone.

The sanction was imposed for breaching the EFL's profit and sustainability (P&S) rules for the 2023-24 season.

The Premier League said it was also appealing, but said its claim is limited to the commission's decision not to impose a sanction on the club for their breach of league rules regarding the late submission of their annual accounts.

The commission was appointed under Premier League rules in May 2025, after an arbitration tribunal ruled jurisdiction to investigate alleged breaches of EFL rules could transfer to the Premier League following the Foxes' promotion to the top flight in 2024.

The commission determined the club had breached the relevant P&S threshold by £20.8million ($24m) over the three-year assessment period ending 2023-24.

Leicester did not immediately issue their own statement confirming an appeal on Thursday, but stated at the time of the original sanction being imposed that they felt the size of the deduction was "disproportionate" and did "not adequately reflect the mitigating factors presented, the importance of which cannot be overstated given the potential impact on our sporting ambitions this season".

The Foxes avoided a points deduction in relation to alleged breaches of the top flight's profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) for the 2022-23 season after an appeal by Leicester was upheld in September 2024.

An appeal board found in that instance the independent commission appointed under Premier League rules did not have jurisdiction over the club, because it ruled the 2022-23 accounting period ended a month and two days after the club's relegation from the top flight.

PA contributed to this report.