Catastrophic twist on cards at Everton with legal update after Premier League news
There could be a “catastrophic” twist on the cards at Everton, following the Premier League’s recommendation that the Toffees face a 12-point deduction, according to Paul Brown.
The freelance journalist reacted to the news via his Twitter account (25 October) to suggest that if the independent commission agrees that a 12-point deduction is required and the Toffees are found guilty of breaking the Premier League’s financial fair play rules, it could spark legal action.
Should that verdict be reached, any potential fall-out would be “potentially catastrophic” both on and off the field with the 12-point sanction greater than most involved in the process expected the Premier League to ask for.
Reports emerged on Wednesday (25 October) that the Premier League had recommended that the Toffees face a 12-point deduction in their case suggesting that Everton broke the profit and sustainability rules, with a decision due later this year [The Telegraph].
Catastrophic
Such a big points deduction would be catastrophic for any football club, but for Everton, the impact could be even more damaging as it would likely see the Toffees relegated from the Premier League and could well throw their entire future into question.
Financially, teams benefit hugely from playing a part in the world’s biggest football league and the drop to the Championship would be outstanding, but the Blues’ problems may not end there, with three clubs eager to engage in legal proceedings with the Toffees [Daily Mail, 3 October].
Teams have faced points deductions in the past but if Everton do lose 12 points it would be one of the biggest punishments that the league has ever seen and would truly damage the Toffees’ hopes of Premier League survival as if the deduction was imposed today they would be on -5 points and 10 points adrift of safety.
The only minor relief is that the independent commission still need to decide whether or not this punishment is fair, or even if the Toffees ever broke the financial fair play rules. No decision has been made yet and so far no points have been deducted, so there is no immediate need to panic.
Hopefully, the independent commission save Everton from catastrophe in the coming weeks.
In other Everton news, the Toffees could face a battle to keep Amadou Onana after the latest news surrounding Sandro Tonali’s ban