Cardiff wants 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace annulled over 'Palace cheating' claims

Welsh side Cardiff City has reportedly lodged an official complaint with the Premier League that their 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace should not be allowed to stand as their team's details were allegedly leaked to the London club.

If Cardiff's complaint is upheld, this would mean a three-point deduction for Palace that, despite their 3-2 win at Everton on Wednesday, could have implications for the south London club and many other teams fighting against relegation.

According to the BBC, in a five-page letter sent to the Premier League, Cardiff's lawyers alleged that Palace boss Tony Pulis knew that their sporting director Iain Moody, a former Cardiff man, was trying to obtain their starting line-up before the game, following which Palace achieved an 'unexpected' 3-0 win over the club.

Although Palace, which is 11th in the table, has previously denied the claims, Cardiff, which is three points away from safety, reportedly said that they have proof of their claims, which they consider a 'serious breach' of Premier League rules.

Cardiff insisted that Moody phoned a former colleague and induced him into breaching his contract, adding that a day before the match, Moody had obtained the starting line-up from another source.