Everton are likely to feel unfairly treated by the Premier League after letting Leicester City out, according to Dave Powell.
On 4 September, a Liverpool Echo reporter stated that the Foxes had taken advantage of a situation where the Toffees scored twice due to poor drafting of the league’s rules.
The newly promoted side successfully argued against a points deduction despite going over the £105m mark.
Powell wrote: “For Everton, it goes back to the feeling of being dealt a heavy hand from the Premier League, where they had to pay the price for two separate offenses in two different periods in two seasons, only to accept a double penalty in the same season.
“It also looks like one of their Premier League counterparts will find it hard to avoid getting points deducted for a foul this season.
“The fact that Leicester went over £105m was not in dispute, what was successfully argued was that they were no longer a Premier League club when that happened. Had they not moved their financial year, the result would have been very different.
“However, Everton will probably feel a different sense of injustice.
“Poor drafting of the Premier League’s own legislation allowed a rival to get away with the same offense for which the Toffees were so severely punished.”
Everton have every right to challenge in the Premier League
Leicester City’s successful appeal against being stripped of Premier League points for breaching profitability and sustainability rules will no doubt frustrate Toffees fans and officials alike, highlighting a glaring inconsistency in the way financial rules are applied at clubs.
Everton, who have suffered significant points deductions for similar PSR offences, may see this result as an injustice, particularly as Leicester’s escape was based on a technicality regarding their Premier League membership status at the time of the offence.
This situation highlights what could be seen as a loophole in the Premier League rules from which the Merseyside outfit did not benefit, despite both clubs making essentially similar financial oversights.
The difference in treatment could fuel Everton’s sense of being unfairly targeted or disadvantaged by the league’s management, sparking wider debates about the fairness and clarity of financial rules in English football.
This scenario not only affects the competitive balance, but also calls into question the integrity and uniformity of sanctions in the financial control of football.