Passions rage at Elland Road whenever their name is mentioned, and the deliberate silence adopted by the League in relation to Leeds United contrasts sharply to the ire of he who shouts loudest.

Ken Bates is an experienced orator, and one who believes the pen is mightier than the sword. Writing for the masses in Saturday's programme, war was waged by Bates on countless fronts, from the issue of MPs' expenses to the "ignorant" journalists whose interpretation of United's 15-point penalty has been met with a flurry of writs.

Loose tongues will be punished, Bates warned, his own as sharp as ever.

At the end of his column but the front of his consciousness – saving the best for last, you might say – was the Football League, the bitter nemesis of Elland Road.

Bates shouts louder than the League's rarely-heard chairman Lord Mawhinney but he also expects to laugh last. His wrath was summed up in one short sentence, demanding the League "give us back our 15 points". And with that, the posturing was at an end.

The dispute over a penalty which must rank among the most discussed and misunderstood ever seen in English football is now beyond the control of Bates, as it is his manager, Gary McAllister.

Independent arbitration between Leeds and the Football League begins on Wednesday morning and six months of preparation rest in the hands of United's lawyers and on the shoulders of the panel whose responsibility it is to support or revoke the 15-point penalty.

In a hearing where emotion will go unconsidered in the face of firm legal argument, there is no way of predicting the outcome.

The stakes rarely climb higher and nor could the timing of the arbitration hearing be more engrossing. This is Leeds United's fight but League One's concern.

The speed with which the landscape of the division will shift if the tribunal backs Bates would be monumental. That explains why United's chairman has prolonged a battle which many a club owner would have laid to rest months ago.

So just how decisive a week could this be for those concerned with protecting and furthering the health of Leeds United? That question can be answered with simple mathematics, throwing up possibilities which McAllister and his players must now be aware of.

Should Leeds successfully trample on the League's reputation, the club could visit Millwall this weekend in possession of a position which promises them automatic promotion.

Were a victory at Huddersfield Town tomorrow evening to precede the tribunal hearing United – incredibly – could be promoted at full-time in Bermondsey on Saturday, two games before the season ends. League One's title would not be beyond them.