Robbie Fowler slams killer FFP, seems to blame Everton as he moans
Robbie Fowler has insisted that Financial Fair Play regulations have ruined the January transfer window, seemingly blaming Everton after the club were charged twice for financial breaches.
The former Liverpool striker ranted that the Premier League clubs only have themselves to blame after they voted in favour of the rules when the financial checks were introduced.
With Everton having received a ten-point deduction, pending an appeal, and Nottingham Forest and Manchester City also falling victim to the rules, Fowler has moaned that the enforcement of the rules has scared clubs.
Writing in his column for the Sunday Mirror [28 January, page 78], Fowler shared: “Financial Fair Play appears to have killed the January transfer window. It’s clear that the merciless way the Premier League enforce their profit and sustainability rules has clubs running scared.
“Clubs voted for financial checks and balances to be brought in, so they are getting exactly what they wanted. But Everton feel they have grounds to appeal their ten-point deduction for failing PSR – and the Goodison club now face more accusations along with Nottingham Forest.”
The rules are fine, the punishments are the issue
Fowler’s ranting is a strange path to take in this discussion. To blame Everton among other clubs for the enforcement of the FFP rules, and claiming it is ruining the transfer window, is very much the view of a spoilt fan rather than showing any understanding of the situation.
Regardless of the questions over the way the Premier League has chosen to enforce its rules, with the penalty received by Everton seeming overly harsh, there can be no question that the regulations are good for the game in the long term.
Perhaps clubs have been scared off of making big-money moves in January, but from the league’s point of view, that shows their strict enforcement of the FFP and PSR rules has been justified.
Ultimately, the rules are in place to stop clubs from falling into a financial hole with no avenue for recovery and therefore fewer clubs facing long-term issues, so if that means less spending in January, then so be it.
In other Everton news, a last-gasp approach has been made to sign a new defender.
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