STUART McCall insists the delay over a salary-cap decision for League Two is “puzzling”.

Clubs were given details of a proposed £1.5 million budget limit in a meeting with the EFL this week.

The governing body have drawn up the plans in a bid to control the huge financial damage caused by the coronavirus shutdown.

The Bantams are firmly against the idea, which would need a two-thirds majority from clubs to be pushed through.

But the vote is not expected to take place until the end of the month – a wait that McCall says is frustrating for every manager.

“We’ve almost got to the stage where we can start making offers to player if we’ve got a start date,” he said.

“But we still won’t have any news on the salary cap until July 29, which I find really strange.

“If the EFL are proposing to maybe get teams back to training in mid-July, then not to find out until the end of the month whether there is going to be a cap is not very helpful.

“I’ve spoken to a couple of other managers since and we all feel the same.

“You’re trying to bring players in and organise contracts but even though we’ve all discussed the salary cap, nothing will be done about it for another few weeks.

“What’s going to change between now and then? It’s puzzling why we have to wait."

The EFL want to bring in salary caps for the bottom two divisions – which City fear could create the scenario where clubs are outbid for players by ambitious non-league benefactors not restricted with their spending on wages.

In League One, where clubs would be limited to a £2.5 million cap, Sunderland would not be allowed to spend more than Accrington despite average crowds for last season of 30,317 compared with just 2,862.

McCall added: “I was on a call not that long ago with all the managers in League One and Two discussing a possible salary cap and (Accrington boss) John Coleman was the first one to come on and say that it wasn’t right.

“How can Accrington be compared to Sunderland?

“We’ll see if the salary cap goes through and we’ll deal with it then if we have to. There are a lot of discussions on-going.

“But is it the right thing to be doing? There are all sorts of ways that clubs can be held accountable for their finances.

“It’s not just the salary cap itself but all the little bits that are added into the proposals and things like not being able to include any cup money or if you sell a player.

"You think how much cup runs have benefitted Bradford in recent years with the money that has been generated.

“Why, for example, would a club try and work any harder in the commercial department to bring in more revenue if you can’t then spend that money how you want to?

“All right you can put a bit more money into certain things around the stadium and such but you can’t touch the team. It doesn’t make sense.

“Each club have to look after their finances and you do what’s best for your own situation. That’s only human nature.

"But that doesn’t say it’s right for the league in general.”