Everton’s Fan Advisory Board has called for the Premier League to suspend all hearings into breaches of their profit and sustainability rules, accusing the league of “making it up as they go along” and of designing rules that make it impossible for clubs outside the so-called Big Six to be successful.
The FAB, which is an independent body that consults regularly with the club’s hierarchy, made the claims in a statement submitted to the commission which will hear the case on the club’s second PSR breach next week.
i can reveal the commission will begin on Monday 25 March and run for three days. A verdict – and possible punishment – will then be delivered in the early part of April.
Although there was no official comment from Goodison Park, it is understood the club were left bewildered by the decision to hit Nottingham Forest with a four-point penalty for a breach of PSR which dwarfed their own. Supporter anger is reflected in the FAB’s statement, which was published on Thursday morning.
The FAB’s case is that with financial fair play rules due to change in the summer all hearings into breaches of the current rules should be suspended. They also call for the new independent regulator to assume powers of oversight around FFP – something not currently due to be in its remit.
The FAB argue there are two “fundamental issues” that the Premier League commission must give due consideration, more specifically a lack of due process and so-called “double jeopardy” where a club is punished twice for the same set of accounts.
A statement read: “We see no evidence of any agreed Premier League structure or procedure and are now in the bizarre position where some clubs have been referred to a Premier League commission without a clear understanding of how any penalties are assessed, whilst other clubs are yet to have had their case presented to a commission, despite having been charged, or being subject to, investigation for some time.
“This fuels fans’ fears of the introduction of a two-tier league within the Premier League, where it becomes almost impossible for anybody outside of the six ESL [European Super League] breakaway clubs to be financially viable, let alone successful.
“Additionally, the Premier League now appears to be prioritising a rapid transition from the current PSR to a new policy altogether, potentially as early as this summer. This indicates a recognition by the Premier League that the current policy is not fit for purpose. The sensible course of action would therefore be to suspend all current proceedings and sanctions, until any system can be subject to proper oversight by an independent regulator.”
The FAB’s statement lays out the effect the second charge has on supporters, players and the wider community – arguing that it was the fans who first raised concerns about the way the club was run. Protests against former board members were a common theme last season.
PSR rules have come into sharp scrutiny this season with Everton and Forest already docked points and Leicester City in potential trouble with both the EFL and the Premier League.
Speculation surrounding Chelsea has already begun, with many in football now looking at 30 June – the end of clubs’ accounting periods – as a potential soft transfer deadline for Premier League sides to sell to prevent a breach. The quiet January transfer window was a sign of the concern within the league about the rules.
The Everton case has certainly sharpened minds and fermented serious anger on Merseyside.
FAB chair Dave Kelly said: “It looks like the Premier League is literally making this up as they go along.
“Whilst we’ve always been clear that our club has had a case to answer, we’re now in the bizarre situation where some clubs, but not all, have been brought before a commission still unclear about what the rules of the game are when it comes to sanctions, with the groups of commissioners themselves having no clear guidelines to work by.
“We’ve now had three hearings, overseen by three different commissions, applying three different approaches, and reaching three different conclusions.
“In the last week, we’ve also seen the Premier League confirm that it will be looking to change the PSR rules as early as this summer.
“The rhetoric we hear today is that football is nothing without fans. But how does this chaotic approach to regulation inspire confidence for football supporters, especially when even the Premier League recognises its own policies aren’t fit for purpose?”
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