Andy Gray and Richard Keys react as Everton face new Premier League charge today
Richard Keys and Andy Gray could not believe what they had heard after a report in The Times shared that Everton are likely to be charged by the Premier League again on Monday.
Gray was especially shocked by the news as Keys read the report, as he questioned whether his colleague was joking after Everton had already been handed a ten-point deduction earlier in the season.
The pair went on to question how they could be punished by rules which will be discarded in August, despite Keys’ insistence that the initial punishment handed to Everton was correct and just.
Speaking live on beIN SPORTS [14 January], Keys explained: “My stance on the ten-point deduction was: yes, justified, now everybody else who’s flirting with or has broken FFP rules knows what’s coming.
“This from Martin Samuel in The Times today Andy: it is likely, Martin says, that Forest and Everton will be charged again tomorrow, Everton with further financial discrepancies,” to which Gray responded: “What? You’re joking.”
There’s no consistency at the top
How can the Premier League use rules that by their own admission are not up to standard to punish Everton and Forest, with the threat also looming over Manchester City amid the investigation into their financial breaches which would also be punished by the current rules?
With new laws with inspiration taken from UEFA set to be introduced in the summer, the Premier League have shown they are aware that their rules need improving, so to dish out punishments while those rules are still in place shows a total lack of consistency.
An appeal from Everton for the initial points deduction is still ongoing, and if they are handed yet another punishment for further breaches you would assume it will be used as yet another string to the club’s bow aimed in the direction of the Premier League.
Clubs and fans need clarity. They need to know what they are being punished for and what those punishments will be. If the Premier League can’t stand by its own rules, how can they expect any of the clubs to understand them?
In other Everton news, a new Amadou Onana update has emerged.