The Premier League’s treatment of Everton this season has been nothing short of abysmal, and yet even in doing what the fanbase has demanded, they have drawn scrutiny.
After all, many supporters had pointed out the lack of fitness surrounding PSR, yet they persisted with them as a basis with which to hand the Toffees a ten-point deduction.
Later reduced to six, they still await further sanctions, as do Nottingham Forest, against a set of rules now set to be replaced this summer.
The new system will align with UEFA’s model, allowing clubs to potentially spend up to 85% of their revenue on squad costs. Another decision made to favour the ‘bigger’ sides.
What Kaveh Solhekol said about the Premier League’s rule change
Having broken the news regarding this proposed plan weeks ago, reporter Kaveh Solhekol has now sought to detail the ramifications behind the official announcement.
In fact, he would speak to Sky Sports immediately after the news broke in an attempt to detail how fans of clubs like Everton and Nottingham Forest must be feeling, given how a set of rules set to be scrapped have affected them this season.
He noted: ‘In the short term I think nothing is going to change, but I understand and I hear Everton fans, Nottingham Forest fans, who will be saying ‘Hey, hang on, we’re going to be deducted points, we have been deducted points, we could be deducted even more points under rules that are going to basically be scrapped as early as this summer’.
‘This is total madness. Now whilst I understand that, but these are the rules that the clubs voted for, they’re in the handbook, they’re not fit for purpose, they are going to be changed.’
How can this be fair to Everton?
It is not news that has emerged out of nowhere, given murmurs of this potential rule change had been mooted much earlier in the season, but it still stings all the same.
After all, how can the Premier League justify stinging Everton with deductions despite knowing full well that the statutes used to admonish them are not fit for purpose?
The fact that they are seeking to change them this very summer is indicative of this, and therefore should in turn make all punishments administered void as well.
However, it seems like justice is not on the Premier League’s agenda at the moment, a notion which was clear to see months ago.
The manner in which they have relentlessly sought out the Toffees, seeking to slam them with the harshest of penalties, has been laughable. And yet, they have got away with exactly what they wanted, and it could prove catastrophic for Sean Dyche.
He, as well as many Evertonians, will be wondering how this rule change can be fair when Everton has fallen fowl to the previous set of guidelines which are set to be scrapped.
It is certainly something worth pushing, to either get back even more points from their initial deduction, or convince the division that further punishment has no basis.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
