Plymouth Argyle placed under transfer embargo by League

Paul Mariner was appointed Plymouth boss on Thursday

Plymouth Argyle have been placed under a transfer embargo by the Football League because of unpaid debts.

Argyle currently lie 23rd in the Championship and removed manager Paul Sturrock last week, with head coach Paul Mariner taking charge of the team.

"The embargo did not affect deals done in the last transfer window and won't affect anything in the next window," a club spokesman told BBC Sport.

"The embargo is a historic matter and it will be sorted."

The news of the embargo, which is understood to have been in place for several weeks, comes just a day before Argyle find out if their Home Park ground will be included in England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

The Pilgrims plan to extend the capacity of the stadium from 19,500 to 27,000 regardless of the outcome of the bid, and then to 46,000 should Plymouth stage matches in the tournament.

In July, a consortium including Japanese businessman Yasuaki Kagami, former Manchester United chairman Sir Roy Gardner and Keith Todd secured a majority interest in the club.

606: DEBATE

With the number of clubs living beyond their financial means growing, the League is probably taking a hard line to try to stop problems before they escalate to potential bankruptcy

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Gardner took over as chairman at Home Park, with Todd becoming the club's new chief executive.

The upheaval came after Argyle finished just one place above the Championship relegation zone last season.

However, the arrival of the new board has done little to improve fortunes on the pitch and Sturrock was relieved of his duties on Thursday, with Argyle lying just one point above bottom-of-the-table Peterborough.

Former Plymouth striker Mariner, who joined the Home Park coaching staff in October, was placed in charge of all football activities until further notice.

But his tenure began with a 2-0 defeat at Preston on Saturday, which leaves the Pilgrims six points from safety.

"I'm not worrying about the embargo and the directors have given me their assurance the the problem will be overcome very quickly," Mariner told BBC Spotlight.