Everton and Nottingham Forest pose ‘credible threat’ to Premier League amid legal talks
Everton and Nottingham Forest pose a “credible threat” to the Premier League if they decide to join together to take legal action in response to Chelsea’s sanction.
That is according to former Everton, Aston Villa and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, who exclusively told Football Insider the Premier League has not been consistent with the punishments handed out to clubs.
Chelsea received a £10million fine and a suspended transfer ban after admitting to making £47m worth of secret payments to agents and third-parties linked to deals between 2011 and 2018 when Roman Abramovich was in charge.
However, the London giants avoided a sporting sanction, such as a points deduction.
Everton were previously deducted eight points for two separate profit and sustainability (PSR) breaches, while Forest were handed a four-point penalty after failing to comply with the spending rules.
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VISIT THE EVERTON FINANCE HUBWhy Premier League costs are ‘building’ amid legal action
The Guardian reported on Wednesday (25 March) Forest officials have held talks with Everton this week about joining forces to challenge the Premier League over its handling of the Chelsea situation.
It is understood the two clubs will initially write to the Premier League requesting a formal explanation for the Blues’ sanction and the process behind it.
| Chelsea signing | Transfer fee |
| Eden Hazard | £32m |
| Samuel Eto’o | Free transfer |
| Willian | £32m |
| Ramires | £18m |
| David Luiz (2011) | £21m |
| David Luiz (2016) | £30m |
| Andre Schurrle | £18m |
| Nemanja Matic | £21m |
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Wyness discussed the possibility of Everton and Forest taking legal action.
“If it is going to go legal, then you have got to have a credible threat,” said Wyness.
“They have seen that Marinakis is certainly somebody that will back up his words and actions. This is a different ownership now for Everton with The Friedkin Group, who have also got deeper pockets than Farhad Moshiri.
“There is a credible situation here, where the Premier League could have two of their main clubs taking action against them. That is not what they want and it’s again the sort of thing that could rumble on for some time.
“There would also be more costs building up for the Premier League with legal fees.”
Which Premier League chief has played ‘big hand’ in sanctions
Wyness insisted a precedent had already been set following Everton and Forest’s points deductions, raising questions around why Chelsea didn’t land a sporting penalty.
“It comes back to as I understand it, the person at the Premier League really having a big hand in this is the chair, Alison Brittain,” said Wyness.
“When you’ve set a precedent on the way things have been dealt with, you can’t just change to suit the politics of the situation.
“All people want is consistency, and that’s what this is all about.
“But when you get into things like points deductions, it has such serious ramifications, and they have got to be consistent. It does appear that they’re not being consistent.”
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