Everton, having been rocked by the news of the death of their Chairman Bill Kenwright, were dealt a second blow in as many days yesterday as a damaging report emerged.
Largely lambasted by fans of the club for its poor timing, The Telegraph were thoughtless in its claims of the potential punishments the Toffees are set to receive after breaching profit and sustainability rules.
Three journalists combined for this piece, to further drive down a club in mourning, suggesting that the Premier League are angling for a 12-point deduction to make an example of the once free-spending Merseyside club.
However, such a harsh sanction has provoked an equally strong reaction, not only from Evertonians, but from those level-headed individuals who have drawn comparisons with Manchester City’s accusations of the same nature.
Pep Guardiola’s club are facing over 100 of these FFP charges, with Sky Sports pundit and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher taking aim at the Cityzens whilst also coming to the defence of his boyhood club.
He took to Twitter to note: ‘The PL want a 12 point deduction for Everton for one charge. Man City are going to end up in the National League North if the PL get their way!! Unbelievable the amount of stories that come out about Everton’s situation, but Man City’s, which has 114 more charges & has gone on for much longer, has gone very quiet.’
How much has Everton actually lost?
Whilst the point made by the former centre-back is a valid one, it is hard to deny the huge figures expended by Everton across the last seven years with Farhad Moshiri involved.
Even with their desperate scramble to adhere to the division’s strict regulations, having actually recorded a £69m profit across the last three windows, it barely papers over the cracks of the money squandered.
After all, on top of the £350m loan fees they are accumulating, seeking outside investment to ensure the new stadium is finished, the Iranian billionaire’s side has also posted losses of £430m across the last five years.
The club are drowning, with his desperation to sell to the interested 777 Partners unsurprising given the mounting issues he has brought on Everton.
These prospective new owners have an almighty task on their hands to clear out all of the failures of the recent regime, and it seems their first task could be a hefty legal battle to support Carragher’s point and beat these FFP charges.
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