Hull City owner Acun Ilicali is expected to 'come out swinging' in a defence of himself and the club in the wake of news the Tigers have been sanctioned with a three-window transfer fee penalty. City were placed under a temporary embargo earlier this week which has now been lifted, but as a result of failure to meet a payment within the '30-day rule' the club have been slapped with the fixed penalty of a transfer fee restriction spanning the next three windows.
The sanction relates to a charge for a missed payment to Aston Villa for the loan last season of Louie Barry, a charge the club are contesting. City are set to appeal the decision and make their case to the EFL in the coming days, with the club owner now set to make his case to the City fans after a strong backlash in many quarters to news of an initial transfer embargo and then the transfer fee restriction punishment.
[Hull City](https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/all-about/hull-city) reporter Barry Cooper has spoken with Ilicali in the last 24 hours, with the City supremo promising to do an extended interview with the broadcast and written press in the coming days. While the owner didn't want to go on the record in this instance ahead of those media interviews, Barry has provided a sense of what we can expect to here.
Speaking on [The 1904 Club podcast which you can listen to here](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/RPSL4232496426.mp3?updated=1751719069), or below, he said: "I think it is fair to say he's not overly happy but he's in a very defiant mood about the situation.
"He's unhappy with how he believes this has been handled by the authorities and there was a conflict there with Aston Villa as to whether they even owed the money for Louie Barry because of a credit agreement they had after the sale of Jaden Philogene.
"He is adamant they are in a fine place. They are appealing the EFL decision and there is precedent on winning the appeal. Acun hopes that it gets reduced to a one window ban and he's bullish about getting signings done this summer.
"He told me players are actively interested in coming to the club and there is a striker who wants to come. He was at pains to say they have five loan spaces they can use. I don't think he sees it as the end of the world if they get a one window ban.
"He's told me he's going to do some media interviews over the next few days starting with broadcast interviews with the radio and then written media next week. I get the impression he's going to come out swinging."