Football League issues second ban on Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino

Leeds United have received yet another blow, and once again the issue hasn’t occurred on the pitch.

The club’s controversial owner Massimo Cellino has been banned until June 2016 by the Football League as an owner or director of the Leeds United for a second time in just a year.

The Football League decided to ban the Italian businessman following his conviction fornot paying taxes in his home country this past June.

Cellino was ordered to pay €40k (£28.5k) by an Italian court for non-payment of import duty on a Range Rover he’d imported to Sardinia from the United States.

British law determines that such offences are spent after one year, therefore Cellino will not be able to have any role in the ownership or executive running of Leeds until the offence has expired.

The Football League said in its statement: “Having considered detailed legal advice and the court’s reasoned judgment, as supplied by Mr Cellino. The board determined that the decision of the Italian Court constitutes a disqualifying condition under the owners’ and directors’ test.”

Cellino now has until October 28th to appeal against the board’s decision.

He was previously disqualified in December 2014 after the League obtained documents from an Italian court, which had found Cellino guilty of tax evasion, regarding his failure to pay import duty on a yacht.

Cellino’s most recent ban was announced on the same day sacked Uwe Rösler after 12 games in charge of Leeds United, marking the fifth manager Cellino has axed since taking over in April 2014.