Everton charge cannot be pursued by EFL if relegated from Premier League
The investigation into the alleged breach of Profit and Sustainability rules cannot be held against Everton by the English Football League if it is relegated to the Championship, according to a report from the Independent.
Any potential point deduction would need to wait until such a time that the club returned to the Premier League in the event of dropping down into the second tier, it has been claimed.
The update comes as several Premier League clubs have demanded the establishment of an outside body to regulate such complex financial disputes.
In what is a very complicated situation involving the cases against Everton as well as Manchester City, the report sets out the latest moves for change within the corporate governance of the Premier League.
“Several sources describe it as a ‘mess’, with the competition facing pressure from both sides, but one that was ‘foreseeable and avoidable’, it said.
“Some of Everton’s Premier League rivals have meanwhile requested their case be fast-tracked so that everything can be settled before the end of the season.
“Should the Goodison Park club go down, the EFL would not be able to pursue the case, although it is understood the commission would continue.
“An illustration of how this could cause other complications, however, is that if the case did then conclude with Everton being issued with a points deduction, that would not apply in the EFL.”
“It would have to wait until a period when the club returned to the Premier League. As it stands, commissions are appointed to deal with all disciplinary issues in the elite competition.”
Untenable
What we have at present is a situation in which the Premier League is effectively marking its own homework, it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
As stated in the Independent report, the league headed by chief executive Richard Master is effectively its own “organiser, regulator, investigator and prosecutor.” That is simply untenable.
On the other hand, UEFA and the EFL have independent bodies serving their needs, with the Investigatory and Adjudicatory Chamber for the European game and the Club Financial Review Panel and Club Financial Review Unit bodies for English matters below the top flight.
At the top of the Premier League, the big boys and the serious wealth that sustain them will continue to push in their own interests to kick the can down the road but something has to give, eventually.
The situation above should hopefully be a moot point, in regard to the immediate status of Everton, with Sean Dyche’s side primed to get a win against Bournemouth on the last day of the Premier League season, to avoid the drop.