Andy Burnham hits back at Premier League and after spotting 'highly problematic' statement about Everton

The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has requested the Premier League release a witness statement heard in Everton's Financial Fair Play trial last month - insisting he is now "more concerned" by the legal framework behind the investigation.

The Blues were hit with a 10-point deduction in the Premier League in November after a three-person Independent Commission judged the Goodison Park club to be in breach of the league's Profit and Sustainability Rules (FFP) for a three-year period ending in 2022.

Burnham, who hails from Merseyside, wrote to the Premier League chair in November to raise his concerns about the process behind the investigation which led to Everton being hit with an unprecedented punishment, comparing the procedure to the "Government handing new sentencing guidelines to a judge in the middle of a particular trial".

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Now, after chair Alison Brittain responded to Burnham's letter on November 26, the Mayor of Greater Manchester has called for CEO Richard Masters' witness statement from the investigation to be published in full.

In the letter, replying to Brittain, he said: "I appreciate your detailed reply to my letter of 26 November and your clarification of a number of important points. In particular, I noted two clear statements:

"You are correct to say that (unlike the Premier League), the English Football League (EFL) does have sanctioning guidelines in place."

"In 2020, the Premier League Executive asked its clubs whether similar guidelines (as those in the Football League (FL)) should be adopted and the clear consensus was