Miguel Delaney reacts to ‘catastrophic’ Everton points deduction news live on Sky Sports
Miguel Delaney believes Everton are entering “unchartered waters” with the threat of a big points deduction hanging over them, but says he previously expected any punishment of that sort to be suspended.
The Premier League has recommended that Everton be hit with a 12-point deduction if they are found guilty of breaching profit and sustainability rules in their ongoing case [The Telegraph, 25 October].
That would place the club’s long-running status as a top-flight club in serious jeopardy, which in turn could also effect whether 777 Partners go ahead with their takeover plans.
Asked by Sky Sports News just how “catastrophic” this latest development is for Everton, The Independent’s Delaney said [25 October]: “It will have huge repercussions, potentially changing the face of the club and the Premier League to an extent in what it could potentially illustrate going forward with regards to the Manchester City case, which is a lot more complicated and could go on much longer.
“But Everton’s position in this is that they had allowances for the effects of Covid. I suppose we’ve been in a situation where Everton have been treading water for some time – it’s almost been, not quite a miracle, that they stayed up, but they could have gone down in previous seasons, and you’d think if it comes to this…
“Actually, the chatter last week was that it was expected to be a suspended points sentence. These new reports suggest the action will be a lot stronger, but this will surely relegate them. That could have financial consequences.
“We await to see what will happen with the takeover, though it’s not even a certainty the 777 planned purchase will go ahead. And then there’s the issues with the owners’ and directors’ test. It really is unchartered waters for the club. Everyone is watching this for what it might mean for the Manchester City case.”
Shock
News of Everton potentially being hit with a 12-point deduction came as a shock, even if that is the worst-case scenario, as it effectively means relegation on current form.
Many expected a big financial penalty, or perhaps a suspended points deduction – as mentioned by Delaney – which would basically mean the punishment only kicks in if the Toffees breach rules again over a certain period of time.
In fairness, if Everton are found to have broken the rules that are in place, they deserve to be penalised.
The problem is that this would be a record points deduction for the division, with many believing Everton are simply being used as an example to others not to step out of line.
As Jamie Carragher stated on Twitter on Wednesday (25 October), it will be interesting to see exactly what happens to Manchester City when their case is finally heard, having had 115 charges brought against them.
It must be remembered that all this talk of 12 points potentially being deducted has come from just one report, so let’s just wait and see how things develop over the coming days and weeks.
In other Everton news, “extra complications” have been raised with regards to the FFP case.