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Leeds president Massimo Cellino arrived back in the United Kingdom in defiant mood on Tuesday and told the Football League it had "made a big mistake" in disqualifying him from owning the club. Cellino was holding talks in Bahrain with the club's former owner Gulf Finance House -- the investment bank still control 25 per cent of the club's shares -- when the Football League announced on Monday the Italian had failed its "owners and directors' test." The league told Cellino he must stand down after finally receiving further evidence of dishonesty from the Italian judge who convicted him for tax evasion in March. The 58-year-old will be entitled to return to his position at the club on March 18 next year when the conviction is spent under UK law. The league has said Cellino had 14 days to lodge an appeal. "I don't want to spend a lot of money on lawyers," Cellino told ITV. "This club in the last five years has spent more money on lawyers than players." When asked to confirm he will appeal, Cellino said: "Sure. I'm going to meet my lawyers. They [the Football League] have made a big mistake. "They're just throwing money from the window." Cellino took control of Leeds in April when his family company, Eleanora Sport Limited, bought 75 percent of the club's shares from GFH. The former Cagliari owner announced a new 20 million pound investment in Leeds on Saturday and said he had successfully negotiated a 5 million pound contribution from GFH after meeting with the investment bank's officials in Bahrain. Cellino added: "I solved a big problem [on Monday] in Bahrain. It was important for the survival of this club. This club now is financially strong, it looks to the future and we're going to present the facts. "We're going to fix the club and the league is going to realise it's doing a big mistake." The league initially attempted to block Cellino's takeover of Leeds after his tax conviction in April, but the Italian successfully appealed. But the judge who over-ruled the league's decision, Tim Kerr QC, said if it was later concluded that Cellino had acted dishonestly when failing to pay import duty on his yacht, he would fail the owners' and directors' test. Cellino faces a second similar charge of tax evasion on another yacht. The latest court case in Sardinia was adjourned in late October and it is understood a new date has yet to be confirmed. The league has also asked an independent disciplinary commission to consider whether Cellino breached league regulations by not disclosing information it had obtained from the Sardinian court which convicted him in March. There is no time limit on the commission's findings as this further breach of its rules is an entirely separate process, according to a Press Association report. It is also understood that Eleanora Sport could install a new management structure at Elland Road to satisfy the league that Cellino has no financial or executive influence on the club during his disqualification period.
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