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Kieran Maguire shares Everton legal update as Premier League clubs could complain
Kieran Maguire has claimed Premier League clubs could complain following the 10-point deduction given to Everton if they feel they have lost out on prize funds as a result of their rule breach.
For example, the finance expert claims if a team had finished 15th, but would have finished 14th if Everton were docked points, they would feel they had missed out on £2.1million.
This, Maguire suggests, would be a ridiculously messy and depressing situation for the club, and he claimed we have not seen the end of this saga yet.
Maguire was speaking on The Price of Football podcast [20 November] when he suggested it could be more than just relegated clubs lining up complaints about Everton’s situation.
He shared: “There could be complaints from clubs that say ‘Well, we finished 15th in the Premier League, if Everton had a points deduction we would have finished 14th and therefore we would have had an extra £2.1million in what we refer to as merit fees.
“Then the clubs might say, ‘Well if we had finished 14th our sponsor would’ve given us extra money’ You know, the ripple effect is huge, and it’s ridiculously messy, and it’s quite depressing.
“If a points deduction is upheld, we’ve probably not seen the end of this.”
This will drag on and on
Suggesting we have probably not heard the end of this ongoing saga is somewhat of an understatement. With the number of appeals and complaints that could, or perhaps will be lodged, this could drag on for the foreseeable future.
Everton will first appeal the points deduction, which they feel is an unnecessarily harsh punishment, but if they are unsuccessful in their claim then it could open up a can of worms with clubs poised to capitalise on the situation if they feel they have lost out.
This comes as six clubs who have been relegated in the last two years are considering lodging cases which claim they have been short-changed by Everton’s rule breach and missed out on money they would have been making had they remained in the Premier League.
It is a messy situation from an Everton point of view, with eyes on them and daggers pointed their way from all sides, and much will depend on the result of their appeal.
In other Everton news, Alan Myers has slammed the punishment in a new rant.