Everton threats over FFP as Manchester City ignored ‘blatant’, Premier League to blame says shocked Sky Sports pundit
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Kevin Campbell doesn’t understand why Everton are in the focus so much for their alleged profit and sustainability breach when Manchester City are by comparison being ignored.
The Premier League referred the Toffees to an independent commission in March [Sky Sports] on a single count, the month after Pep Guardiola’s side were accused on more than 100 [Sky Sports], but while subsequently relegated Leeds and Leicester have been tipped to bring “ramifications” on Everton for staying up [talkSPORT, 31 May] there hasn’t been anything similar regarding title rivals Arsenal at the top.
Ex-Everton captain Campbell blames the Premier League for making the situation public in both cases such a long time before there was any prospect of a resolution, with the Toffees’ hearing only subsequently set for 25 October in recent days [BBC Sport, 15 June], but feels the differing levels of focus on the cases at the top and bottom of the table are strange.
Speaking exclusively to Goodison News the Sky Sports pundit said: “It’s not so much a discrepancy [in attention] it’s just downright, blatant ignoring it.
“Here’s the crazy thing. Manchester City won the league fairly and squarely, and even though I’m also an Arsenal man they won it fairly and squarely because they’re the best team, I’ve got no problem with that.
“But why come out and say they’ve got all of these issues if you’re not going to deal with it?
“That part I don’t get. You might as well have kept quiet until you were willing to deal with it. Come out and say, and then deal with it.
“If you’re going to let somebody who’s doing wrong, in a sense, not [proven] guilty, but if you’re going to let somebody do something and you’re not going to handle it, and it’s going to hurt other teams, then the Premier League are to blame.”
With City going on to win the treble there has been some more noise made in the media about the the fact City have such a volume of charges hanging over them.
But their third consecutive league title was confirmed prior to Sean Dyche’s side escaping the drop on the final day but there was no threat of legal action from the clubs at the top as there reportedly was from those at the bottom [Daily Mail, 16 May], while all 19 top flight clubs are supposedly unhappy about spending at Everton rather than City.
Both clubs contest the allegations and plan to defend their position, but Campbell feels the Premier League caused avoidable outrage which then disproportionately headed towards Goodison rather than the Etihad.