Cardiff City's relegation rivals Wigan Athletic have been docked three points and fellow strugglers Reading are set to learn their fate on a potential six-point deduction this week.
The Bluebirds have been staving off the threat of relegation for months now, with Sabri Lamouchi tasked with saving the club from a drop to the third tier after being brought in back in January.
Cardiff currently sit 21st in the table, three points above the drop zone but with a game in hand. That game, of course, was against another relegation-threatened team in Rotherham United, against whom their match was postponed in the 48th minute owing to a waterlogged pitch. An investigation is currently ongoing, which you can read about here, and the Bluebirds are unhappy with what unfolded as they led 1-0 at the time.
READ MORE: Nottingham Forest defender on trial at Cardiff City as Bluebirds plan for next season
The three teams below Cardiff have all been within striking distance in recent weeks, however, bottom club Wigan have now been hit with a seismic blow which leaves them eight points adrift of safety.
The EFL this week confirmed a three-point deduction for the Latics in relation to the club not paying player salaries for March.
"The EFL has informed Wigan Athletic that it has, with immediate effect, been deducted three points from the 2022/23 Championship table after the Club has failed to pay player salaries in March 2023," Wigan wrote on their website.
It hands Cardiff a little more breathing space, however Blackpool and Huddersfield Town behind them are still hot on their heels. Every team other than Cardiff and Rotherham have only eight games left to play.
However, Reading could also be dragged right into the relegation mix. This week, the Reading Chronicle reported the Royals are staring at a six-point penalty and are waiting to hear from the league's governing body this week.
The EFL imposed a six-point deduction on Reading in November 2021 for breaching financial rules and they were automatically placed under a transfer embargo. The club then had to agree to a business plan relating to revenue and expenditure, including the implementation of a wage cap. A further six-point deduction was suspended until the end of this current season.
However, it is now reported they have broken those rules and could be handed another six-point deduction if found guilty by an independent disciplinary commission.
The Chronicle reported that Reading would "likely" be deducted the six points this week, which would reduce them to 38 points overall, level with Cardiff, but would place them below the Bluebirds due to their inferior goal difference, thus moving the Welsh club up to 20th and with a game in hand.
Speaking on the potential deduction after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Hull City, Royals manager Paul Ince said: "As far as I’m concerned I don’t know when it’s coming, or if it’s coming.
"There seems to be a lot of stuff in the press at the minute about other teams. The EFL seem to be on one at the moment, they’re hitting everyone.
"I’m sure something will be coming our way but for me I’m glad we didn’t lose the game. No manager likes going into an international break losing a game."
While Cardiff will doubtless only be focusing on their own affairs, ensuring they earn the most points possible for themselves, other teams being sanctioned around them will help alleviate the sizeable pressure on the club to avoid the drop.
The Bluebirds face four of the bottom nine clubs, if that Rotherham match is indeed replayed from the beginning, in their final nine games of the season.
READ NEXT
All options on table in Rotherham v Cardiff City EFL probe as truth about '75-minute' rule revealed
