Still reeling groggily from their ten points deduction as a punishment for having breached Premier League profit and sustainability rules, Everton are intent on appealing their ten-point deduction from the Premier League for breaching profit and sustainability rules, hinting heavily that they will use the outcome of Manchester City’s own charges to inform their response.
The Toffees were charged with an alleged breach of the rules in March, with a hearing in October siding with the Premier League and issuing an immediate ten-point deduction on Friday.
Man City, on the other and, were charged with 115 alleged breaches of Premier League rules in February, and are insistent on welcoming the opportunity to present evidence of their innocence when the matter is brought before an independent commission for arbitration.
In response to their punishment, Everton responded to their punishment, saying they were “both shocked and disappointed” by the “wholly disproportionate and unjust” ruling.
The club statement read: “The club does not recognise the finding that it failed to act with the utmost good faith and it does not understand this to have been an allegation made by the Premier League during the course of proceedings.
“Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted.
“The club will also monitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases concerning the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.”
The final sentence appears to allude to City’s case, which could see them base any appeal on the outcome of their own independent commission hearing.
This week, City maintained their stance on the charges levelled against them, making reference to them under the ‘Risks and Uncertainties’ section of their annual Financial Report.
The club wrote: “On 6 February 2023, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4.
“In February 2023, in response to the charges, the Club issued a public statement that it welcomes the review of this matter by an independent Commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position.”