… if the disqualification period as reported by The Athletic is correct, what are the likely sanctions?
If your appraisal of the situation is correct…
… it would be extremely unfair, but highly probable, that our football club would suffer serious consequences for actions taken by someone at a time when they had absolutely no connection to the club.
There must be some way to mitigate against that?
I would hope that the authorities are sympathetic to the situation the club finds itself in.