Everton remain in the dark as they are suffering a painful wait to know the result of their appeal.
The Toffees are waiting to know the outcome of their appeal against the point deduction for breaching the FFP rules, and everyone associated with Everton, including the journalists, does not know what the outcome will be. The Premier League are delaying matters which is affecting the club.
The Premier League and its independent commission haven’t bothered to provide any explanation or update as to when the urgent matter will be resolved. It is a matter of urgency for the Toffees to know where they stand and how to plan out the rest of the season, but the people in power aren’t thinking along those lines.
Andy Burnham, who has been a vocal supporter of Everton, took to X and shared his concern. And now Steve Rotheram, the Metro Mayor of Liverpool City, has delivered a passionate message suggesting the entire “opaque process” has resulted in more questions than answers.
He says that the initial decision to deduct ten points was harsh and has criticized the Premier League’s attempt to shift goalposts in the middle of the season. Writing on X, Rotheram adds that the veil of secrecy needs to be removed.
“Whatever the outcome of Everton’s appeal, this entire opaque process has left us with more questions than answers. From the overly harsh initial sanction, ‘small clubs’ and PL’s attempt to shift goalposts midway through, the culture of secrecy has done nothing to foster trust,” wrote Rotheram on X.
“Factor in the lack of mitigation for matters out of the club’s hands (the small matter of the Russian invasion of Ukraine), reasonable infrastructure costs (Bramley Moore) and ‘assets’ unable to appear on the pitch but on the balance sheet, and it is hard to see the fairness.
“How can any fan, club or player have any confidence in the PL sanctions process moving forward? This is an urgent issue given the two outstanding cases to be dealt with this season. With Everton’s appeal pending it is already clear that the veil of secrecy needs removing.”
Everton stuck in limbo
This is a serious matter and everyone at the club is hoping to get a verdict from the Premier League. The ten-point deduction is the harshest punishment in the Premier League history and that deserves scrutiny in itself.
Jamie Carragher said that he feels Everton will still be punished but they will probably get some points back. It could have huge repercussions in the grand scheme of the club’s battle for survival.
A positive outcome – read as some points given back – would mean Everton will get the necessary impetus to avoid the drop. On the other hand, if the Premier League independent committee feels that the initial decision should stay intact, Everton will have to fight hard to save themselves from being relegated.
Their recent form has been poor, and they have not won since the turn of the year.
At the moment, Sean Dyche and his players can only focus on their task at hand, and that is to win more football matches, something they haven’t done in recent weeks.
The Toffees are just above the relegation zone at the moment, and they need more wins to mark them safe for another season. Having said that, it is really hard to focus on the next when there is so much uncertainty around the club.
