EPL cuts nose off to spite its face

 

Fascinating at the top, farcical at the bottom.

That probably sums up the climax to the English Premier League season for most football fans.

As Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are locked in a thrilling battle for the title, it’s a very different story at the foot of the table.

While the Big Three are focussing on the field, the bottom six are just as concerned about what’s happening off it – especially in the court room.

As all of football knows, Everton and Nottingham Forest have both had points deducted for breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

This has plunged them perilously close to the drop zone.

Forest are above it only by goal difference, Everton by two points.

Yet the biggest spenders of all, Manchester City, are free to win another Treble even though they were charged with 115 such offences way back in January, 2023.

The case is not expected to be heard until next year which gives them time to win another Treble.

That would be six trophies between being charged and a verdict.
City vehemently deny any wrongdoing.

The football world waits to see what sort of punishment awaits should they be found guilty of FFP offences.

But no one is holding their breath.

Based on what Forest and Everton have suffered, a guilty verdict would surely see the champions relegated – and by several divisions.

And the hollowest of hollow victories with retrospective trophies for all those runners-up down the years.

It’s happened to Rangers and Juventus, but no one thinks that the EPL has the guts.

City’s lawyers are too clever by half and the wise money is on them wriggling off.

City still dazzle on the field but this takes off much of the shine.

Whatever happens, the delay for City while others are punished has already lost the EPL all credibility.

“A mockery” is what Luton’s Andros Townsend called it.

He spoke after Everton’s two-point docking following an earlier deduction of 10 points was reduced to six.

I hope you are still following this.

It gets worse: the Toffees have been told they could face a third deduction next season for offences in the current financial year.

You might expect Townsend to be laughing as Luton stand to gain from this but, like most of football, he wants it sorted on the pitch.

Everton will appeal just as Forest have against their four-point penalty.

Both feel aggrieved the EPL initially wanted even more severe sanctions for what seem relatively minor infractions.

But the commissions disagreed.

Everton stated that they were “concerned about the inconsistencies” between different commissions, having seen four this season make differing judgements.

Forest received a lighter sentence than Everton even though they exceeded the spending limit by twice as much.

But Forest were rewarded for “exceptional cooperation” with the EPL whereas Everton were not.

You can’t help but feel that the EPL are making this up as they go along.

And then there’s Leicester City. Now in the Championship after giving the EPL its best story with their 5,000-1 triumph in 2016, the Foxes await charges for some sly accounting last season.

It seems that anyone who shows ambition is likely to be slapped down.

Forest took 23 years to return to the top flight after being champions of Europe in their heyday, and needed to spend to stay there.

With six loan players returning to their parent clubs when promoted, they had no choice and survived.

Their reaction to the deduction was that the EPL is “penalising aspirant clubs.”

Leicester echoed those sentiments and are poised to bounce back.

But if they do, the EPL wants them to start next season with a points deficit.

And Everton? Well, they’re building a new stadium that will be used when the UK and Ireland host the 2028 European Championships. But no slack was cut for that expenditure.

Nor for their impending sale to new owners. If they are relegated, that sale is unlikely to go through.

As for Manchester City, the sheer scale and duration of the alleged breaches dwarfs anything the other so-called “bad boys” have committed.

“Legal complexities” are why it’s taking so long to resolve.

It goes back almost to the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008.

They went from a mid-table club renowned for its cock-ups to being champions seven times since 2011.

But the EPL allege they did it by flouting the spending rules.

Banned and fined by UEFA, they wriggled off on technicalities and time delays.

They and their army of highly-paid lawyers are employing the same tactics, it appears. The arguments are set to rage and rage.

But what cannot be disputed is that the EPL has made a complete mess of its belated attempts to keep club finances in order.

When the title is being decided next month, relegation will likely be left hanging.

The closeness of the race suggests we will have to wait for lawyers to decide the outcome.

Yes, some clubs face the unthinkable scenario of finishing the campaign not knowing which league they’ll be in next season.

Let’s have financial rigour but like this the EPL is cutting its nose off to spite its face.

For football’s sake, we hope that when Forest and Everton appeal their sentences, they also appeal for sanity. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.