Michael Owen blasts FFP as Everton handed 10-point deduction for rule breach
Michael Owen has blasted FFP after Everton were handed a ten-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
The Toffees were hit with the biggest punishment in the history of the competition for a single rule breach, sparking outrage across the sport with the club initiating the appeals process immediately.
And Owen took to his personal Twitter account (17 November) to blast the rules, claiming FFP is simply a way to protect the elite clubs and make it “near impossible” for others to compete with them.
“Whether Everton deserves a points deduction or not is up for debate but I’ve never liked FFP,” he wrote.
“Surely there’s a better way of protecting the future of clubs? FFP protects the elite clubs and makes it near impossible for the chasing packs to compete.”
Facts
Michael Owen has never been the sharpest tool in the box, but this punishment has made it very clear that the Premier League’s FFP rules are just about protecting their investment.
The top clubs Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea have all breached FFP in one way or another in recent years yet they are all awaiting a hearing and punishment, and it’s almost certain that a points deduction won’t happen because they’d have done it by now.
As for Everton though, our case was dealt with swiftly and we were charged despite the fact we had been working alongside the league on our finances for years to ensure there were no problems.
The Premier League are looking to make an example out of us and it’s worked, but they’ve picked on the wrong club and we will fight this until the end on and off the pitch.
A salary cap would surely level the playing field far more than profit and loss budgets as there is no circumventing that, but until that’s in place the smaller clubs will be dealt with differently.
In other Everton news, Finance Expert shares verdict on Toffees appeal chances after 10-point deduction.