Merseyside’s most senior politician has written to the chief executive of the Premier League to raise concerns over the 10 point deduction handed to Everton.
The club was hit with the unprecedented penalty on Friday for a single breach of the league’s financial regulations. An independent commission found the Blues lost £124.5m over the financial period covering four years to July 2022, £19.5m above the permitted threshold.
The punishment dropped the club into the relegation zone and was met with shock and dismay by Everton, which accepted guilt but argued the failure to comply was due to a number of unforeseen circumstances and that the club had sought to engage with the Premier League once it became clear it faced difficulties.
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Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram has now joined the chorus of significant figures to have expressed concern over Everton’s punishment and has written to Premier League chief Richard Masters.
Mr Rotheram had signalled his intent to write to Mr Masters on Friday when he took to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, to describe the sanction as an “excessive and grossly unfair punishment for a single charge”. His Manchester counterpart, Liverpool-born Everton supporter Andy Burnham echoed his views, questioning whether the penalty was fair.
On Monday, Mr Rotheram released his letter, in which he expressed his “deep concern and opposition” to the severity of the punishment.
He wrote: “While I understand, and indeed support, the importance of maintaining discipline and upholding the integrity of the sport, it is crucial to ensure that any
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