Queen Park Rangers: Is their EPL Promotion in danger?

English Championship league leaders Queens Park Rangers FC are six points ahead of Cardiff City FC in third with two matches to play and a 13 goal better goal difference. The promotion to the Premier League seems only a mere formality for the Hoops, who would return to the Premiership after 15 years of absence.

QPR, have since 2007 Indian stake holders in the Mittal family, but unlike other investors in football they have kept a rather low profile about their investment. The Mittal's co-own QPR along with Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and after difficulties over the last few years things seem to finally falling in place for the club and their owners as off the field Ecclestone bought the shares of former Renault F1 head Flavio Briatore, while this season they have been a revelation in the Championship.

But an old players transfer of 24 year old Argentinian Alejandro Damián Faurlín from summer 2009 could haunt the club and their promotion dreams. Only earlier this year it emerged that the transfer fee for Faurlín was paid not only to Instituto de Córdoba and Inter Milan, who had a first-option clause for the player but also to a third party; which after the Carlos Tevez and West Ham United saga in 2007 has been forbidden by the Football Association.

Now British tabloid the Sun reports that QPR could be facing a deduction of up to 15 points as penalty, which in the current league table would mean that Norwich City and Cardiff City would get automatically promoted, while QPR would have to play the playoffs. Sportingly unfair on coach Neil Warnock and his boys, who have been top of the Championship all season.

The hearing into the signing of Faurlín will take place next week from Tuesday onwards with a verdict expected by Friday. The panel will consist of an independent QC, two members of the FA's disciplinary panel and a football expert whose a former player or boss.

And there seems to be a feeling that even QPR know that a mistake has been committed by its then management, knowingly or unknowingly. A punishment then seems inevitable, but would the panel be so fair to allow a team to go up who have dominated their respective league and put a heftier fine out against them.

One will have to wait and see, in a weeks time we should know more...