Update: FA lurches from stupidity to madness as Faurlin and QPR case becomes debacle

Updated after my last post: I've just read that the FA is now planning on delaying its decision to announce the results of the QPR/Faurlin inquiry until next week, after the final round of Championship games has been played.

Words fail me with how the governing body have handled this whole situation from beginning to end.

More to follow.

Bluebirds blow-out leaves FA with escape route for QPR case

Cardiff City's collapse to Middlesbrough in the final home game of the season not only ruined the club's automatic promotion hopes but may have given a perfect opportunity for the FA to escape its QPR dilemma.

The case involving Queens Park Rangers' purchase of Alejandro Faurlin is likely to be settled today with any punishment, if the club is found guilty, also handed out.

Speculation has been rife that QPR has already be found guilty of breaching and that a substantial penalty, possibly up to 15 points, will be applied.

And this is where the effects of Bank Holiday Monday's first-half nightmare could play a very significant part.

The Bluebirds' 3-0 horror show defeat ensured that Norwich City's subsequent 1-0 away win at Portsmouth guaranteed a place in the Premier League next season for the East Anglia club.

As a result with just one game left to play QPR are champions (subsequent to the FA inquiry) with a five point lead over Norwich who are a further four points ahead of Cardiff.

And this gap is crucial.

Had Cardiff beaten the visitors and Norwich repeated the result that would have left the Bluebirds trailing the Canaries by just one point and QPR by only six.

Effectively this would have cut off an easy route to punish the London team had they been found guilty.

Now however, should the FA decide QPR need to be penalised severely, it can dock seven or eight points and be comfortable in the knowledge that if all QPR win the season's final game promotion will be secured, albeit minus the glory of a champions trophy.

Doing this would also prevent major disruption to the league standings and playoff picture and hence likely avoid the potential myriad legal challenges such a move would prompt.

Of course, the FA could decide to just enact a massive fine but no points deduction, effectively ok-ing QPR's actions and ensuring promotion.

Or it could take an incredibly severe option and simply invalidate the club's promotion (effectively demoting it back to the Championship) and enforce one less relegation from the Premier League this season to maintain continuity of that structure.

Either of those methods would also involve a minimum of interference in league standings, and a reduced relegation count is unlikely to be objected from the Premier League clubs, but they lack the often desired 'Goldilocks factor'.

This new opening provides an outcome that could be 'just right'.