Everton fans continue Premier League protests; politician Andy Burnham says ruling should be ‘null and void’

Everton fans have staged further protests against the Premier League over their 10-point deduction, with prominent politician Andy Burnham calling for the ruling to be made “null and void”.

The club received the punishment last week for breaking the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR), with the sanction dropping them into the relegation zone ahead of Sunday’s game against Manchester United.

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Pink flyers — mocked up in the style of the Premier League’s own branding and featuring the word ‘corrupt’— were distributed before kick-off, with supporters raising them as players emerged from the tunnel.

The Premier League pre-match anthem was loudly booed and the pink cards were raised again in the 10th minute in a reference to the points penalty.

Several fan protests have taken place in recent days, with one fan group — The 1878s — setting up a crowdfunding campaign earlier in the week to help fund the production of protest banners and flags.

Around 50 fans gathered outside the Premier League’s London headquarters on Friday evening.

A plane trailing a banner with the same ‘corrupt’ message was then flown over the Etihad on Saturday during the televised game between Manchester City and Liverpool.

Everton’s punishment was decided by an independent commission after a hearing last month, with the club set to appeal.

Manager Sean Dyche said ahead of Sunday’s game that understood fan protests — but urged supporters to get behind his players on the field.

“I cannot get involved in what is outside my domain, but the swell of Evertonians getting behind the club shows the feelings of injustice,” Dyche said. “All we can ask for is their backing and support inside the stadium, and all we can ask is for that to continue.”

Burnham lodges Premier League complaint

Meanwhile, Everton fan and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has lodged a formal complaint with the Premier League and called for the ruling to be made “null and void”.

Ahead of kick-off, Liverpool-born Burnham shared a letter he had written to Premier League chair Alison Brittain, in which he questioned the Premier League’s process.

Burnham said he was writing as an Everton season ticket holder and not in an official capacity, but said: “I do believe that the handling of this issue raises concerns for anyone who cares about the integrity of English football and the wishes to see the ongoing success of the Premier League.”

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He wrote: “The fact that the Premier League sought to introduce a new sanctions policy in the middle of this process amounts, in my view, to an abuse of process. I would argue that it should have had one in place before it commenced these proceedings and established this commission.”

Burnham voiced his concerns about an “arbitrary decision which seems to result from the pressure applied by the Premier League,” and added of an appeal: “How on earth can Everton football club be assured of fair treatment in these circumstances?”

He continued: “How is it proportionate that a £20m breach of the PSR regime attracts a 10-point penalty and a club going into administration only a nine-point penalty?

“I am not arguing that Everton do not have a case to answer, nor that they do not deserve any punishment. The issue is whether the process was fair.”

He said the “only fair course of action” was for the panel’s ruling to be “declared null and void” and called on the Premier League to publish a proposed sanctions framework for its clubs “without delay”.

The Premier League has not yet responded to the letter, which it received on Sunday afternoon, but is understood to consider that Burnham has misunderstood the process and decision.

The League is likely to advise Burnham that both parties — itself and Everton — provided their views on sanctions, with a independent panel rejecting that either was appropriate.

Premier League financial rules dictate that clubs are allowed to lose a maximum of £105million ($128.4m) over three years.

Everton were punished by an independent commission after a five-day hearing last month during which it was determined that the club’s PSR calculation for the relevant period resulted in a loss of £124.5m.

Everton had initially robustly defended their compliance but moved to a position whereby they accepted a degree of culpability, claiming a breach of just under £8m and offering mitigating factors including their costly new stadium build and the impact of Covid-19.

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There have been several precedents in the English Football League (EFL) in recent years, but a punishment relating to breaches of profitability and sustainability rules in the top tier of English football is unprecedented.

Middlesbrough were docked three points for failing to fulfil a fixture in the 1996-97 season while Portsmouth were hit with a nine-point penalty in January of the 2009-10 campaign after going into administration.

The ruling in the Everton decision notes that the Premier League adopted in August a sanction policy that it considered to be appropriate for FSR breaches, but had later told the commission that was a “submission” rather than a “binding formula” it sought to impose. Unlike in the EFL, approved sanctioning guidelines for financial breaches have not been incorporated into the Premier League’s official rulebook.

The ruling stated: “If the Premier League wishes to impose a mandatory structured formula on a commission dealing with PSR breaches, it can do so.”

Despite Burnham’s call, it is understood that there are no plans at this stage for the Premier League to publish a sanction framework imminently.

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(Photo: Getty Images)