10 points, on Everton’s deduction
More than just football, but a city looked down upon
A few months ago, I wrote an article discussing Financial Fair Play in football, and how it is actually used to protect the bigger clubs being overtaken, rather than for sustainability reasons. Well, due to recent events in the media, my article appears more and more relevant. Therefore, please enjoy my breakdown of the current biggest drama in English Football, and why it is bigger than just one team and the sport.
1 — Who
The who in question is Everton Football Club, my team, who were founded in 1878. The club is one of the most historic in England, holding the record for most seasons in the top flight of English football. Even though in the last 30 years the club has fell from the heights of yesteryear, they are still a “big club", with regular sold out games home and away, and a waiting list for a season ticket.
2 — What
Everton have been handed a 10 point deduction for the 2023/2024 Premier League campaign due to breaches of Financial Fair Play’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR’s). This is historic, as it is the first time a team in this competition has received a point deduction of this magnitude without entering administration. The club have put forward a statement stating they are now looking to challenge this ruling with an independent panel, despite admitting to breaking the rules previously.
3 — When
Whilst the charges came into effect and were announced on Friday, this has been going on for much longer. Due to some mitigating circumstances (highlighted below), Everton were unable to break even as per the FFP’s annual loss allowance over a 3 year period, and most Everton fans were aware of this, as it has been hanging over our heads for a large period of time.
4 — How
Rather than the how of the application of the deduction, I would rather look at how the losses were incurred (mitigating circumstances).
Withstanding the obvious COVID losses, which were unforeseeable, Everton have been building their state of the art stadium in Liverpool’s disused Bramley Moore Dock, looking to revitalise this section of the city. Rather than take loans, the club has fronted the bill, leaving to large losses. Funding was also lost due to the Ukraine-Russia war, with Russian Oligarch Alisher Usmanov, in a similar vein to Roman Abramovic, being forced to withdraw any UK assets, including his investments in the club.
Another controversial area was the treatment of player Gylfi Sigurdsson. Back in 2021, it was leaked that a player of the Toffees’ squad had been suspended due to allegations involving children, which turned out to be the Icelandic midfielder. A £40 million + signing back in 2017, the player was eventually cleared of all charges. However, as sacking Sigurdsson meant Everton would potentially be sued by the player, the club were forced to continue to pay his wages until his contract expired. All this because the Premier League wanted to get avoid bad reputation in their league, and Everton had to foot the bill for high wages for a player ineligible to play.
5 — Why
Now, that is the question. The club were described by the Premier League’s independent commission as “being reckless with transfers”. Looking at our transfer policy during the 3 year period cycle under investigation, from 2019 until 2021, it was clear why there were issues. Players once signed for £20 million +, such as Schneiderlin, Bolasie and (the previous mentioned) Sigurdsson, were either released or sold cheap in order to free wages, but no large monetary incomings were made.
However, since admitting to financial breaches and reaching an agreement to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation, the club have made profits in the transfer market in the last 3 seasons, which includes this summer. Free transfers and loan players have become the norm, and key players have been sold at large figures in order to fund any transfer business. Unlike certain teams (such as Manchester City), the club has been working alongside the Premier League to improve their situation and face their charges, as opposed to deflecting and postponing. This is why a lot of fans and the team itself are so surprised that a record penalty was given out.
6 — Misconceptions about the breaches
Many of the uneducated have pointed figures and labelled Everton as “cheaters” and “bending the rules to gain an advantage”, however this is not the case.
The way Everton broke the PSR’s is by incurring losses of £124.5 million in a 3 year period between 2019–2022, which is over the £105 million allowed. This was mainly due to the funding of the stadium, not in the acquisition of talent to play in it. The Premier League has even admitted that no sporting advantage was gained as a result of the breach, which is why I hope the potential appeals from Leicester, Leeds and Burnley will be quickly repudiated.
7 — Not just this once
This wouldn’t be the first time Everton were made an example by the Premier League and the FA. Back in November 2017, Everton forward Oumar Niasse was the first player to feel the wrath of the Premier League’s new diving protocol, receiving a two game ban for ‘attempting to deceive’ referee Anthony Taylor. Only one other player, Manuel Lanzini the following month, ever received this punishment.
8— Not just Everton
In one of the biggest controversies so far this year, Everton were not the only Liverpool-based team to be wronged by the English governing body. During a game between Liverpool and Tottenham earlier this season, major problems arose, including a “significant human error”, which involved a perfectly legal Liverpool goal failing to be given by VAR. Whilst an apology was issued and changes were promised, it doesn’t change the result, which saw the reds dropping a point in a tight title race.
9 — Not just football
Talking to anybody in the Liverpool region, you will understand the prejudice people from the city have faced for many years. Whether it was the reporting of the Toxteth riots in the early 80s making the citizens of Merseyside seem disorderly and violent, or the misrepresentation of Liverpool fans during the Hillsborough disaster by the media and Conservative Government in the 90s, the city has always been a target of the media for vilification and vitriol compared to other areas of the country.
This disdain was further expanded upon during the coronavirus pandemic. The city of Liverpool were used as guinea pigs for the likes of Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson, including the first live music festival without masks back in 2021. Further, it has even been argued that the decision to allow Athletico Madrid fans to travel to Anfield for their Champions League tie on March 11th, despite strict coronavirus restrictions being applied in Spain and being 12 days before the English lockdown occurred, was a test of herd immunity, putting the lives of Liverpudlians at risk.
Even the after effects of the pandemic are felt as hostile deliberate decisions by the Conservatives. Since the financial effects of the virus left the city bankrupt and struggling for money, the Conservative government’s promises of funding have been backtracked on and once again, we are left to fend for ourselves. It is no wonder why most of you may have heard the term “scouse, not English". Because we feel forgotten by our own government in Westminster.
10 — Conclusion
To conclude this article, I would like to say that I do believe we should be punished, that is not in debate by me. Whilst Manchester City amongst others should receive their due, 115 charges is a lot harder to prove than one, which has been admitted to by the club themselves.
My issue is with the severity. The fact that the club has worked with the Premier League and has shown an upturn in finances, alongside the fact we knowingly admitted to the breaches, should mean the charges are not as severe. I believe if we were to receive 6 points deduction, and maybe a small financial penalty, this would be a lot more proportionate.
The fact that the Premier League gave a financial penalty to the “Big 6" for trying to violate competition law by joining the European Super League, and no further action was taken, reiterates my whole issue with Financial Fair Play — the rich stay rich, and everybody loses.
