Everton: New FFP hearing set to start after Nottingham Forest conclusion amid ‘danger’ verdict
Everton will begin their second independent hearing within days with Nottingham Forest having now concluded their first, according to i News.
Mark Douglas wrote for the outlet’s website on 14 March that the increasing financial woes across the Premier League, of which the Toffees’ new hearing next week is a central part, are threatening to make the relegation battle a farce, with points deductions and appeals potentially sending clubs down after the season ends.
And with Aston Villa, Newcastle, Chelsea and Leicester all facing issues football finance expert Kieran Maguire has admitted that fans are increasingly unable to “escape the drudgery of life” when financial admin is taking centre stage.
He told i News: “Football is in danger of becoming more spreadsheet than teamsheet. There’s an argument that it’s becoming a disappointing aspect of the game we love.
“People go to watch football to escape the drudgery of life, to escape admin and numbers and all of the tedium that comes with it but it’s increasingly becoming a very big part of it.”
Newcastle, Aston Villa and Chelsea woes could follow Everton
Sean Dyche’s side have been playing under multiple clouds of uncertainty for months now and that isn’t going to change any time soon.
The first hearing resulted in a hefty 10-point deduction which was only reduced down to six after appeal, and while that likely set some parameters for a presumed second deduction there could still be a further appeals hearing after a verdict from next weeks arguments.
It has clearly been weighing on the players as form has dried up, and it has absolutely been draining the enjoyment out of supporting the team for most of the fanbase.
It is evident from the fact that new rules have now been voted in to replace the ones that Everton and Forest are still caught under already that there is a problem.
The original thought behind the profit and sustainability rules may be valid but in practice they seem to be providing at least as much of a negative impact as any positive.
Everton supporters won’t feel especially bad for other clubs’ fans not enjoying their experience given what they’ve already been through with the Toffees, and are still enduring.
But it comes to something when even a football finance expert is now admitting the side of the game he is specifically focused on is ruining it for the public.
In other Everton news, Jamie Carragher made an admission about the Toffees after an accusation from Gary Neville.
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