Plans for a new £18million salary cap in the Championship next season appear to be dead in the water.
Sportsmail understands that opposition to the proposals is now held by almost half of the second-tier clubs. The backing of two-thirds of the teams would be needed to vote it through.
A letter sent to the other clubs by promotion-chasers Brentford, Bournemouth and Norwich City — seen by Sportsmail and discussed at Tuesday's Championship meeting — picked apart the proposals and featured a claim that one finance director had found '30 ways' to cheat them.