The Premier League have opened up a can of worms after making Everton the first English club ever to be docked points for breaches of financial rules. The Toffees were handed their punishment with immediate effect last week as Sean Dyche saw his side go from untroubled mid-table mediocrity into the bottom three.
Everton are now just goal difference away from propping up the table despite having more points in the past two weeks than Burnley have in the opening 12 games of the season. After overstepping the £105million loss threshold over a rolling three year period the Merseyside club are now fighting a battle on multiple fronts.
Other than cause sheer outrage from fans in the blue corner it has also created a murky and uncertain footballing landscape for other teams to operate in. Manchester City are the only other current top flight side with charges against them but that comes with the caveat of being 115 alleged breaches over a 10 year period.
In the background to all of this are Chelsea. The Blues currently have no charges against them but face questions over; A) their current compliance within profit and sustainability rules in England and UEFA's own, less stringent, financial laws, B) allegations over undisclosed payments made during transfer dealings throughout Roman Abramovich's reign as owner and C) further non-reporting and missing details from the Russian oligarch's trophy laden tenure.
Just how Everton should have been punished, if at all, has been hotly debated in the past week alongside potential ramifications for City and also Chelsea in a doomsday scenario as well as realistic propostion too. Here, football.london writers take a look at the call made by the league and what they see lying ahead.
Tom Coley - US Audience writer
This has been a dark week for English football. Everton's punishment seems extreme on the surface for what will ultimately be dubbed 'only £20million over' but that is also nearly 20 per cent over the loss threshold and doesn't come entirely from exacerbating factors no matter what they argue. The fact that some parts of their report were allegedly also misleading just isn't a good look.
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I'm not sure there can be too much argument over whether Everton deserved a punishment but to have it at this scale as the benchmark is a dangerous precedent and one only likely to be used consistently in the coming years. Everton have already set their stall out for this and it's going to get messy.
It's a bit silly to do comparisons but that's naturally going to happen anyway. If Everton staying up is deemed a sporting advantage then City and Chelsea - if charged - are surely going to be in big trouble as well. At some point there does have to be punishment and financially in a world of money and more money it seems fair, I just worry for what the game has turned into.
The feeling of all vibes has gone from football, especially at the top level, and this just rubs salt into those gaping wounds. If it's not Everton it's going to be someone else soon and if that's not City or Chelsea then it won't be long before another load of charges are banded about elsewhere.
Luke Thrower - Trends writer
I think the outcome of the Everton case and subsequent Profit and Sustainability breaches will put the Premier League's will to clamp down on these rules to the test. The ten-point deduction may seem harsh, but the independent commission came to the conclusion that they gained a sporting advantage for four-years, while there had to be a clear deterrent for doing so.
The current rules mean that the league is too slow to react to breaches, with teams already relegated in the aftermath of Everton's actions. The issue now is how this is treated across the board as questions continue to arise over the balance of play within the Premier League itself.
The reality is that the gap between the top six or seven clubs is growing as revenue continues to increase for not only Premier League TV money but for the Champions League in particular. Within the current framework, teams aren't able to show the same financial might as those in the established positions at the top, leading to teams like Everton spending but ultimately missing out - something already displayed with teams pushing beyond their means and falling into financial plight to the parachute payment teams in the Championship.
It will be a test of how far the Premier League wants to go as to whether they will push for equality across the board or if they continue to sit on the same framework that allows for teams to reach the established top six and stay there, while others either can't compete or push beyond those rules and become established or pushed into financial despair for their ambitions.
Josh Holland - US Audience writer
It’s not often that an international break which sees England play two dead rubber games is so breath-taking. Everton’s punishment, while hardly surprising, came as a shock for us all with the lurking issues over Chelsea and Manchester City.
The current system seems rather unfair and the decision hasn’t gone down well. Fortunately for Everton, Sean Dyche has created a well-oiled team at Goodison Park and they should have enough in their ranks to stay in the Premier League.
10 points for such little wrongdoing is harsh but the biggest question mark coming out of the situation is what does it mean to Chelsea and Man City? As both cases have proved, alleged hidden payments and under-the-table dealings are becoming more prominent in today’s game and it’s simply impossible for the governing bodies to keep on top of.
I’m all for Financial Fair Play. There’s an argument that Everton would cease to exist without it and that would leave the blue side of Merseyside heartbroken. It’s a thin line on the financial side at the moment. All eyes on the Premier League’s next FFP victim.
Sam Hill - Trends writer
The decision to hand Everton a 10-point deduction for just a single breach of the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability regulations was harsh, in my view. Coming in £19.5million over the £105million limit allowed over a three-year period is not much in today's game - but the punishment given to the Toffees is definitely better than a simple fine.
However, it sets a clear precedent now as Manchester City await the outcome of their ongoing investigation. If the reigning Premier League champions are found guilty of breaching FFP regulations in all 115 charges they are facing - I cannot see any other punishment other than a huge points deduction and potential relegation from the English top-flight being given, especially following the Everton case.
There is a clear frustration from City and their rivals that an outcome has not been reached yet and the Premier League must act swiftly to end the speculation as to what could happen to last season's treble winners. If the Premier League are serious about clubs breaching financial regulations - which they appear to be - then City, and potentially Chelsea, could be set for a significant punishment that would change the dynamic of English football.
I believe there needs to be a serious review into club ownership and how FFP regulations are implemented within the game as we now risk seeing one of the best teams in modern history be heavily sanctioned, if they are found guilty for the alleged breaches of the rules. Whilst it has been Everton this time and could be City or Chelsea in the future - there remains a huge risk of the same punishment being handed out to whichever club you support unless regulations are fair and followed by everyone.