Sheffield United will start their next Championship season on minus-two points after an English Football League independent disciplinary commission found they had defaulted on a number of payments to other clubs last season.

A further two-point Championship deduction has been suspended until the end of that season and will be activated if United default on any payment due to another club under a transfer or compensation agreement for more than five business days.

The EFL said the defaults “cumulatively were in excess of 550 days” and that United had agreed to pay the league’s costs of £310,455.

• Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.

• If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.

• In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.

• Turn on sport notifications.

United were promoted from the Championship last season and are on course to be relegated back to the second tier. They are nine points below the safety line with seven Premier League games remaining.