Everton have been at odds with the Premier League for nearly a week now, following Friday’s devastating ruling which saw them handed the harshest points penalty in the history of the division.
Fans and the media alike are rightly frustrated, whilst the hierarchy within Goodison Park wasted no time before outlining their intention to appeal such a ruling.
And yet, despite all the animosity, the Toffees were still forced to attend yesterday’s meeting, in which a number of key decisions were made.
One such was a landmark vote on whether clubs should be allowed to loan players from other clubs under the same ownership, to which a majority of 14 votes were needed to back the proposal and instigate a rule change.
However, in the end, there were eight who voted against, with The Times detailing those teams: ‘Sources said the eight clubs that voted against the ban were: Newcastle, Sheffield United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest and Burnley.’
Journalist Martyn Ziegler would then detail the main reason why those sides acted in that manner: ‘Most of those clubs are linked to multi-club ownership models so the defeat of the proposal means they can take players from partner clubs on loan.’
Everton are still in the midst of a takeover at the hands of 777 Partners, who have numerous sides under their umbrella.
What does this Premier League vote mean?
The main event that instigated such a vote actually came from Newcastle United, who have emerged as an unlikely, unnecessary and downright strange adversary of Everton’s in recent years.
Their links with acquiring Ruben Neves from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal drew outrage, with many claiming it seemed unfair to allow PIF, owner of both them and the Magpies, to trade stars between clubs just because his prized asset are suffering an injury crisis of late.
However, it seems they are not the Premier League only side with plans to delve down this avenue into the future, with eight sides supporting the notion.
Manchester City’s ownership needs no introduction, as one of the wealthiest in the game, but it might surprise most to learn that Wolverhampton Wanderers owner, Fosun international limited, boasts a whopping $6.9bn (£5.5bn) fortune that surpasses that of Manchester United’s ownership.
The Merseyside outfit marked a surprise inclusion, but given 777 Partners are in possession of sides such as Sevilla, Genoa, Standard Liege and more top clubs across the world, it could prove a profitable venture should the deal to buy Everton from Farhad Moshiri be ratified.
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