I have a soft spot for Everton – ‘The People’s Club’.
One of the founding members of the football league, the second longest continuous presence in the topflight and nine-time League winners, 5 times having lifted the FA Cup, this is a big club.
Yet them being immediately deducted 10 points for breaching financial rules is a huge moment in English Football.
The Toffees will appeal, thousands will be spent on the best lawyers in the UK to contest that the sanction is beyond reasonable, saying: ‘Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted.’
Yet, the Premier League has finally proved they have the gumption to take their own rules seriously. The assumption is they were always happy to hand out fines knowing the sums were just spare change that billionaire owners could find down the back of their settee.
Taking away points though was seem as self-sabotage. The Prem is one of England’s biggest brands. It’s hard to market it as the best in the world if you have to punish teams for cheating.
This shows not just the blue half of Merseyside, but the rest of the country that there will be consequences if you don’t follow the sport’s laws.
Hopefully it will be a deterrent to other chairmen and women, while some might now be sweating.
Thoughts obviously turn to Man City, but to be fair to the Champions, they have always insisted their innocence and maintain that will be proven.
Everton’s statement is more bizarre. They are not denying their guilt, they simply argue that they were only over the profit and sustainability threshold by 19.5 million, had been honest about the oversight, had been transparent and think the punishment is ‘harsh’.
Let me translate that …. They thought they could knowingly break rules, the repercussions would be a fine and that the Governing body would never dare go down the route of points deductions.
Another line out of Goodison is: ‘The club will also monitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases concerning the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.”
So, because others have done wrong that makes it okay for you to do the same? Because you think your peers might be doing the same that makes you the victim? Don’t worry what others are doing, look in the mirror and address how you’re running your business. So badly off the pitch that it’s now impacting on the pitch.
Their words suggest they think otherwise but Everton haven’t been unlucky here.
In terms of profitability, you are allowed to be 105 million in the red! That’s a lot of money, a lot of room for error.
Now is this as bad as the ‘Big Six’ trying to break away and start their own Super League? Would that have been more costly to the whole pyramid of England’s footballing pyramid?
Some Gooners might want to cover their ears, have Everton been treated more harshly than when we broke the rules?
Of course, I can write that because I don’t pretend there’s an agenda against us.
Some readers will just casually ignore this. It’s easier to make an example out of Everton then an Arsenal. Reasons you want to keep the Big 6 happy.
Sources say, there was pressure from other clubs to throw the book at Everton. Less so on the Big Six because of that lucrative TV contact the Big 6 are responsible for yet share with the rest.
Because the Big 6 got a tap on the wrist though doesn’t make it okay for others to act how they want.
If you don’t meet the standards set by the League, you leave yourself open for repercussions.
Everton are now 19th but only three points from safety. With another 26 games to go it’s not a disaster for Sean Dyche, who will know there are three worse sides then his.
Everton will be fine.
Long term though I hope it sets a precedent.
Dan
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The punishment looks harsh but when you factor in that there are three clear favourites for relegation then they have got away pretty lightly. If that deduction had been inflicted on the last couple of seasons they would have gone down. As it stands, they have plenty of time to make up the few points they need to escape relegation.
I know they are publicly protesting but they are probably pretty pleased with it
Nothing will be learnt from this and nothing will happen to City. The EPL can punish Everton because they have been transparent and are presently of the status that reflects their historical success as a club. It’s just another opportunity for the Premier League to demonstrate its corrupt and soulless nature. Mark my words, absolutely nothing will be done to Man City. The EPL will not damage its brand and risk Pep walking away.
Like nothing was done to any of the top 6 including Arsenal ?
What was done? A £3million fine? I’m sure Everton would have taken that….
Exactly. It’s nonsense. Everyone’s penalty is an empty threat imposed on a perceived weaker team that can’t defend itself because it has little weight to throw around.
Think you have misread Everton’s statement slightly Dan.
1st they didn’t deliberately overspend in the hopes of a fine. The key point is Usamov was sanctioned and they lost the sponsorship linked to him. Add in the new stadium and the mismanagement of the football side of the business they have found themselves in trouble.
2nd when they refer to other clubs I think they are specifically looking at Chelsea and their self reported issues that are more severe as well as City and their charges. Essentially like some legal experts have come out and commented is likely now they expect those clubs to be outright relegated if found guilty of more severe and deliberate transgressions.
Does it matter if it’s deliberate or not ?
If you were not aware you were speeding does that make it okay and mean you should get away with it ?
Now we’re comparing speeding with high (and low) finance?😜😜😜
An example that just because admit to breaking rules it doesn’t make it okay too
It’s not a correct use of the analogy anyway because you can claim mitigation in the case of a speeding offence. Also, there is often some discretion applied when meting out punishments. Everton have by no means suggested that they want to “get away with it”.
Yep. This.
Chelsea might get some leniency for owning up before actually being charged with anything, but if City are eventually found to have commited those 115 sins, then I think we can say “bye, bye Bluebirds.”
Shame about Everton (the club), but not so much for their crap fans.
As Angus wrote above Everton had strong mitigation and didn’t do anything deliberately. They had to make a guess about how much some of their revenues would be and when they get it wrong suddenly they’re in breach of rules.
The period they are being fined for included losing the sponsorship of Usmanov’s company bcos of Ukraine war and the covid years which hurt them in ways they could not predict. And they had unexpected stadium rebuild costs. And so on.
Also, they complied with EPL instructions on player signings in 2021 so they were trying to get on the right side of the line.
£19m is not a lot these days in the sad state of modern football.
You’re entitled to your view, but you haven’t really answered your own question. Was the idea to leave the Premiership, purely for monetary reasons, as bad, worse or insignificant compared to a club overspending by £20 million over 3 years.
Everton admitted guilt in the end, but have worked during this period with the FA/Premiership to make sure they complied with the rules. Then, a year later, the FA must have realised they got it wrong following the rumblings created by the vultures of Leeds and Leicester mainly, so they charge a club they helped get their books right for getting them wrong? Compare that to six clubs prepared to destroy their crown jewel, the Premiership. I’d say Europa superleague was at least as bad, probably worse. Now compare the punishments: three million fine and 10 points. It would have meant that most of the six would not have played in European competition. I smell a self serving rat here, as the Premier League did not want to punish their own cash cows too much.
Yet, Everton, looking to enable themselves to join the top half consistently, could be relegated and made bankrupt, because the advice given about how to account for certain interest was wrong? I suppose the income from Everton is not as high for the Premier League as it is from the aforementioned six teams.
I’m not wanting to let Everton have no punishment, but it has to be proportional. The six teams put the whole of English football at risk, Everton risked losing £20 for wanting to improve. The punishment is ridiculously high compared to that metered out to the “top six” teams.
Lastly, there is the issue of what will happen to City and Chelsea. Should they get penalised the same? So 115 times 10 points for City, plus some more for consistently doing it? And I’m not sure about the number of charges that might come Chelsea’s way (although I’m guessing none). Should they be retrospectively relegated?
You sure it was the FA that charged Everton?
Oh please Everton cheated plain and simple they spent more money than they were allowed to and this enabled them to keep their premier league table. How can you equate arsenal wanting to join a competition to the cheating Everton are culpable of.
That ten point deduction won’t relegate Everton but if the likes of leicester Burnley Norwich sue for compensation then going into administration will give them another points deduction that will put them down. You can feel sorry for the Everton supporters but not for the club the club put themselves in that position
If you read what the “independant commission’” said, the overspend was related to the building of the ground and Everton did not receive a sporting advantage from it.
This Commission said they did not agree with the mitigation Everton put forward, covid, sanctioning of Usmanov etc which they believed would have put them within the rules
Good luck to those wanting to sue, also the premier league was supposed to be overseeing the club for the last couple of seasons, maybe clubs will have more luck suing them.
I don”think any Everton fan disagrees with being punished It’s the harshness of the penalty, the premier league only came up with a mechanism for calculating a points deduction after Everton had been charged. The KC did say that it did not make sense but came up with exactly the same calculation of 10 points
Finally it’s also the fact that Everton are being treated far more than the super league 6. Premier league said at the time a points deduction would punish the fans!
Firstly, Everton have a wonderful fanbase that have stayed loyal to them through decades of THEIR noisy neighbours dominating Merseyside football, just as city fans have done during the Mancunian seasons.
This is NOT about the fans, as ALL those clubs supporters proved, when they protested against the “super league” that Dan brings into his article.
One thing we should remember, as Arsenal fans, is that we had a manager who always believed in the rules and carried his beliefs out with a passion…. sometimes to his own detriment.
I remember years ago, when Luton were found guilty of corruption and relegated, in much the same way as Glasgow Rangers and Swindon Town were, not just deducted ten points…. while Manchester United were also found guilty of breaches similar to Luton (if my memory is correct) but were only fined – such was the power they held in English football.
So don’t be surprised if city and chelsea are not punished in the way Everton have, history tells us that, due to the corruption of the in football, money always talks.
Were the six clubs involved in the super league guilty of breaking financial rules?
No they were not, but they were guilty of thinking that they were bigger than football itself… and the fanbase showed them EXACTLY what they thought about it!!!
Since then, of course, the Kronkies have kept their words – let’s hope Everton fans are just as lucky.
They still broke rules though
Yes they did and we’re punished.
Why, Dan, are you trying to implicate the club you support, with a completely different set of rule breaking charges and sentencings?
Is it because Mikel Arteta was manager at the time, because, quite honestly, I can’t see any other reason?
You may think that the punishment metered out to the six was not strong enough, but it is what it is and what that has to do with Everton, Chelsea or City breaking the current rules is complete and utter BS.
👏
Just pointing out that if there were an agenda against Arsenal they wouldn’t have got off so lightly
And no because Arteta was against the Idea
The Super league potentially would have financially been more costly to the league then what Everton did
But the “agenda” would then have had to include the other five clubs who were going to join the super league – something that seems not to be the case with city and chelsea.
So, if they DID get off lightly, are you also criticising the other five clubs as well?
The “agenda” you raise, is regards to the officiating decisions and I asked you previously to name the clubs whi have received “apology letters”… strangely enough, city and chelsea have not had any!!
That’s the agenda that your now trying to twist into your discussion.
It’s good to know that you’re not blaming MA for the amount of the fine we received, as the decision was taken by the owners.
Oh mate 100 per cent
If any of the top 6 clubs cried about an agenda I would point to times they got away with things
And yes I’m well aware that it was our owners and not Arteta
Never have I blamed Arteta for super league
I like Arteta , simply don’t think he’s good enough to win a title
YES Ken, Evertons fans are wonderful.
Loyal in awful times, for season, after season, after season etc.
There is a regular on this thread who wrote utter nonsense and complete untruths about their fans. Sigh!
Just adding to what I said above agreeing with Angus about not being deliberate etc.
1. EFC mentioned the other clubs because they saw the 6 ESL clubs only got £3.5m fines.
2. The judgement includes a statement by the chairman that he thinks other clubs have a case for compensation (relegated clubs). Remember WHU settled the case for £20m compensation to just one club back in 2009 over the Tevez eligibility case.
3. If that happens then the new owners might walk away which would be a huge loss for EFC.
4. It seems high compared to 9 point deduction for Portsmouth going into administration in 2010.
5. The reason they are watching what others get is because if what EFC did is worth 10 points deducted then what is City with 115 charges worth?
The last point is also important because Everton complied fully with the investigation but City and Chelsea are said to be obstructing it.
Rangers were sent down to the 4th league 11 years ago and actually had to become a completely new company/club so in reality the current Rangers has never won anything.
Ok, so the independent panel said EFC were not up front about stadium costs and that they were “reckless” and had repeated warnings, but the point EFC make is that other clubs are being really, really obstructive and they’ve not just had warnings but actually been found guilty in the past (and had less sanctions than EFC got this time).
Everyone is watching this because they want to see if it’s one rule for the money clubs and another rule f or the rest.
My view is might be ok but only as long as the penalty City and Chelsea get is in proportion to the EFC punishment (and if they don’t cooperate then they are treated as if they are guilty and the punishment must be worse because they didn’t cooperate).
That means City stripped of titles, put in 4th division or lower, long transfer ban and fined a ton of money. Then let AFC and others sue them for compensation.
Oh and – AFC would be champions last year 😀 So stop calling City “the champions” eh?
I call them Champions because they are the the Champions lol
You say that the big 6 broke the rules in relation to the European super League, but which rules exactly?
That’s for you to research mate.
Give you a hint , quite a bit one lol
Go on then, which specific rule was broken?
Dan whatever reason you think you have to bring Arsenal into the EFC issue was outerly baffling. Please enlightening me if there is any rule withing the England governing institution that lay out punishment for any club that want to stop associating with the League. The Super League issue was something everybody thought won’t happen like a side talk over bar that will go away once morning comes but shocked us all by kicking down the door. so nobody anywhere prepared for it and so your so called getaway little fine was just a reactional way of make sure no future team would want to try such.
EFC was found guilt of an existing law well know to them and which they have been severally warned about, yes it may be Harsh but I hope they can appeal it and there is still 26 matches to go, they knowing fully well that there are at least 4 clubs in bad shape ahead of them.
One other thing I Wana know Dan who will you blame assuming back then during the super league fisco Arsenal are deducted point leading to Relegation or totally demoted to division 3?
On a funny note I think you will blame Arteta cause it seems he can’t get a pint of Beer from you 😜😜😜
Arteta was against the Super League mate
We cant compare the Everton situation to the super league. Firstly they are completely different. Second Everton are responsible for this on their own. Third the super league was by 6 clubs who had more clout as a group and the league could not push too far. Thats why the punishments were disproportionate, to the crime.
I have several thoughts, not all connected to each other, though some are, about DANS piece.
Before I begin though, I am in the process of writing my own piece today for sending in probably tomorrow, on the wider ramifications of the Everton ten point deduction.
I will go into it more throughly than DAN has done in this piece. I will be setting out ALL THE POSSIBLE FUTURE RAMIFICATIONS, as I see them, for the future of ALL Prem clubs.
I will not be discussing the aborted Superleague, as that is now redundant . Although, I do NOT say that dreadful idea is completely dead in the minds of ALL top clubs owners, sad to say!
As for DANS PIECE, he makes a number of sound points, as he often does, but as so often he cannot resist having a go at us as part of thE so called “big six” for their/our part in the aborted ESL. iI agre with dan when he says there is NOT an agenda against us. There neve has been either and I REJECT ALL THE MANY GOONERS CONSPIRACY THEORIES THAT CLAIM THERE IS AN AGENDA.
However the general farce that is VAR and the general gross inefficiency of pitch refs, DOES WORK against both us and against most clubs too. Even against United, which some will never accept, given their own personal Arsenal bias.
Please comment on my forthcoming article and say something ,if you will of substance, OR else say nothing at all
In a roundabout way there IS a tenuous connection between that aborted and foolish idea and the corporate greed of all top level clubs, but they and the Everton points deduction are, essentially, two different topics.
I take Dans anti ESL point in this piece, but I will not be mentioning them, simply because I SEE THEM IN THE PAST NOW AND SEE NO WAY FANS EN MASSE WILL EVER CHANGE OUR CORRECT POSITION IN BEING IMPLACABLY AGAINST IT .
I read sites for a few clubs about stuff to do with concern over future of sport etc.
FWIW the sites for City have quite a few people worried about this (there’s a bunch of braindeads that talk rubbish like on every football site) but a fair number of posters who are more sensible think it’s more about them than EFC.
One group think the heavy penalty is lining up a precedent so that CFC and MCFC are expected to get heavy fines. They think CFC will get off lighter tho bcos they flagged up some issues (with CFC saying they happened when Abramovic was in charge so that’s good mitigation). But is it? I expect Boehly got to look at the books before he bought the club?
Some say EFC got to choose the timing of the punishment bcos now they are only 2 points off safety and there’s 3 really weak teams in the EPL, so they should be ok.
I think that’s a bit of a stretch though since they could be sued by Leicester and others who got relegated.
I’m not saying any of this is right, just saying that some ppl are saying these things on City forums. They think this is the knives being sharpened for them lol
Even were Everton to get a further (as reported is possible) nine point penalty, they are now actually a mid table side in quality and would still stay up, IMO.