Portsmouth found time to reach an FA Cup Wembley semi-final amidst another fortnight of turmoil at the cash-strapped South Coast outfit.

Pompey are expected to finally, finally enter administration on Monday March 15^th as Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the UK’s tax authority look set to drop their objections to the process.

 

They are reportedly satisfied that links between the administrators and previous club owner Balram Chainrai would not compromise the administrators’ independence.

But thanks to goals from Frederic Piquionne, they overcame Birmingham in last Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final and now face the winners of Tottenham’s White Hart Lane replay against Fulham.

They will, however, have to wait for the financial benefits of their semi-final place, £607,500 in prize and broadcast money.

Under an unsurprisingly little-utilised competition regulation, clubs in administration require FA approval to receive the money. Pompey will have to demonstrate that they have met all current financial obligations to other clubs in the Cup.

Pompey will not be able to enter next season’s Europa League should they win the FA Cup, or qualify for a final against Champions League-bound opposition.

The club has not applied for the requisite Uefa club licence and any retrospective application would be almost certainly be rejected as Pompey have not met the necessary financial criteria.

Meanwhile, their prospects of avoiding relegation will be virtually extinguished by the automatic nine-point penalty for entering administration.

But their chances took a blow anyway as Birmingham took revenge for their cup dismissal by returning to Fratton Park three days later and winning the sides’ EPL encounter 2-1, Kanu’s injury-time header not enough to salvage a point.

For 85 members of the Fratton Park staff, FA Cup celebrations were cut short by news of their redundancy as part of a swathe of cost-cutting exercises by club administrator Andrew Andronikou of insolvency agents UHY Hacker Young.

The redundancies account for over a quarter of the club’s staff. Twelve other full-time staff “have agreed to reduce hours and we are due to commence discussions with the remaining members of staff regarding wage deferrals,” Andronikou said in a statement published on the club’s web-site on March 10^th.

One employee who has avoided the cut is controversial and increasingly unpopular Chief Executive Peter Storrie, despite Andronikou describing his position as “untenable” two weeks ago.

Andronikou said: “(Storrie) would like to make it known that he has taken a 40% cut in his basic wage.” And Storrie will resign if and when Pompey exit administration.

But gratitude for his grand gesture was minimal among redundant staff that had been on a fraction of the reported £400,000 salary on which Storrie must now make ends meet.

Andronikou was unable to make cuts in the players’ wage bill because they were “very much protected by the PFA.”

It is understood that up to 12 “interested parties” in bidding for the club have contacted the administrators, accompanying their interest with proof of funds.