Although Everton’s original 10-point deduction was lowered to six on appeal, does the Premier League’s credibility as a whole remain in doubt given the entirety of the process?
After an appeal, Everton’s 10-point penalty for violating the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules was lowered to six points, it was announced yesterday.
The Toffees are now five points clear of the relegation zone and in 15th place in the Premier League standings after having four of the points they were previously docked refunded.
Although this change has put Everton in a more comfortable position in the league, the Toffees supporters have little reason to celebrate, as the Premier League’s handling of the team has created more questions than it has answered.
The Independent Appeal Board’s statement
The board agreed with Everton on two points out of the nine grounds the club presented for appeal about the sentence.
The Independent Appeal Board concluded that there had been “legal errors” in the original commission’s decision to deduct the club 10 points.
These mistakes had to do with the first panel’s accusations that Everton was “less than frank” about the information it provided to the Premier League regarding its new stadium debt—an accusation that the second panel rejected—and the panel’s disregard for the criteria that the Premier League and the English Football League had established.
The Premier League’s nine-point deduction for Portsmouth in 2010 following the club’s administration was one of the standards imposed. The panel contended that, in comparison to other sanctions, Everton’s sentence was excessive.
The 10-point deduction, which was the highest penalty in Premier League history, has now been lowered to a 6-point deduction. This represents a significant 40% drop from the original ruling, raising the question of how the original panel arrived at its original conclusion in the first place.
Andy Burnham criticizes the Premier League for Everton’s treatment.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and owner of an Everton season ticket, has stated that the Premier League has demonstrated that they “cannot properly regulate football” and urged them to learn from the absurd situation.
In an appearance on Monday on Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge, Burnham discussed the decrease of the penalty and said:
“In my opinion, the Premier League’s treatment of Everton Football Club has demonstrated that it is unable to effectively oversee football.
“We need a strong, independent statutory regulator for football, learning from all of the wrong things that have been done over recent weeks.”
The Premier League’s callous handling of Everton’s financial rule violations has led to an absurd situation at the foot of the table, where relegation-threatened clubs are constantly having their league position altered as a result of off-field problems.
Gary Neville advocated for a regulation change on Sky Sports on Monday in order to address these kinds of disparities going forward in a more methodical and prompt manner:
“In an ideal world, you wouldn’t have to go back over a three-year period; instead, you would have a system that could identify these things in real time.
“The regulations need to be changed in order to allow for in-season losses, swift penalties, and real-time measurement as opposed to waiting and then reviewing results.
“There is a need to change the rules as they are currently not satisfactory.”
Later, Neville said:
“We can’t have this sort of situation hanging over a run-in, it’s too important for these teams who are involved in these types of battles.”
Everton may be charged with something else again
Even if Everton’s punishment was lessened yesterday, the Toffees’ battle is far from over as it was discovered that they had been found in violation of the regulations once more in January. This might lead to a potential second charge.
However, as Andy Burnham noted, this appears to put the Blues in double jeopardy because Everton has already been fined for the first accusation, and the second charge’s timeframe coincides with it.
Burnham stated:
“Someone acknowledged today that it wasn’t just. We accept that, but it seems like they’re attempting to charge Everton twice. Furthermore, I would argue that trying to use another procedure against us for the same reason is double jeopardy.
“The club isn’t receiving equitable treatment. You don’t feel like you can celebrate a goal because you believe VAR will rule it out, and I can only talk to you as a season ticket holder.”
“You just kind of feel like the authorities are kind of trying to undermine the club,” he continued. It doesn’t seem equitable.
Nottingham Forest, who were also found guilty of breaking the PSR regulations in January, will also be appearing before an Independent Commission by the end of next week, along with Everton.
It is anticipated that neither team will know their penalties for the most recent charges until the middle of April, at which point they may file an appeal. There’s a good probability that at the end of the season, clubs won’t know their final league position or if they’ve been relegated, as the Premier League has set May 24 as the date for the hearing and appeal process to conclude. That is really ridiculous!
Is there still honesty in the Premier League?
The Premier League’s response to these PSR rule violations is obviously ineffective and has resulted in a ridiculous situation for the lower half of the table.
When you combine this with the mystery surrounding the investigation into Manchester City’s 115 alleged violations of the league’s financial standards, it’s impossible to avoid beginning to doubt the Premier League’s integrity when it comes to its rules and regulations.
Richard Masters, the league’s chief executive, stated in January that a hearing date for Manchester City had been scheduled, although he would not specify when. What is there for the Premier League to conceal?
Depending on whatever club they are looking into, does the Premier League have a hidden agenda, or are they just a really incompetent organization?
In any case, the way the Premier League has handled Everton and the continued unpredictability surrounding the season have called into question the league’s credibility. If they want to regain the confidence of football fans in general as well as Everton supporters specifically, significant changes must be made.
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