What the PL have ‘told’ Andy Burnham after null and void claim on Everton deduction

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Everton have been staunch in their position regarding their recent points deduction, affirming that it was an unjust and disproportionate sanction.

This is a notion echoed by many sections of the media too, with the likes of Kevin Campbell, Alan Myers and the Sky Sports Soccer Saturday panel all jumping to defend the Toffees.

However, few have undertaken that task as defiantly as Andy Burnham, who is both a season ticket holder in the Gwladys Street end and, fortunately for his profile, the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Having emerged on various forums to give his verdict on the outcome, one such strategy he employed was penning a letter directly to the Premier League, airing his grievances.

Well, it seems he has a reply, with The Telegraph detailing Alison Brittain’s response, who is chair of the division.

She suggested that his allegations of an ‘abuse of process’ were plain ‘wrong’, and suggested that the 20 clubs did have the option to outline a set-in-stone punishment, but opted against. The article writes: ‘The Premier League has told Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, that his allegations of “abuse of process” around the 10-point deduction for his club last week are wrong.’

It is noted: ‘An open system of sanctioning, in which punishments were left to the discretion of a commission, is seen as a greater deterrent.’

Will Everton succeed in their appeal?

Despite Brittain’s defence of the Premier League’s ruling, Everton’s appeal rumbles on in the background.

No amount of discourse from those within the organisation will deter them, and their fanbase’s opinion on the matter. Ten points is completely outlandish for a mere £19m overspend, especially given the club did work alongside them to fix their finances.

Their transparency has instead been taken for weakness, and despite recording a net profit in their last three seasons whilst reducing their wage bill by over £32m since 2021, they were still hit with the harshest sporting sanction in the Premier League’s history.

The likelihood of a successful appeal is widely debated by most, but the general feeling across the footballing world is that the Toffees have been unfairly treated.

Whether they will get their justice is impossible to predict, but both the club and Burnham will certainly not go down without a fight.