‘There was no settlement’ – Stefan Borson ‘surprised’ after Everton and Burnley legal twist
Everton and Burnley have made a “surprising” decision after failing to reach a settlement in their ongoing legal battle.
Burnley were one of five clubs to apply for compensation alongside Leeds United, Leicester City, Southampton and Nottingham Forest after Everton were charged with a profit and sustainability (PSR) breach for 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The i Paper reported on 15 September Burnley are suing Everton for £50million, with the case scheduled to begin last week at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London.
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider the case could still be settled between the two parties despite the hearing already getting underway.
Everton could have agreed Burnley settlement deal
Burnley are claiming they missed out on extra revenue following their relegation in 2021-22 – one of the seasons where Everton were found to have breached the PSR rules.
The Lancashire side, who finished third-bottom and four points behind the Toffees, are the only one of the five clubs to have followed through with their bid to receive compensation.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “I’m slightly surprised that it’s not been settled.
“It’s interesting that The Lawyer magazine has had exceptionally good sources on these cases.
“I think they appear to have come from the kind of industry chat, the barristers and the chambers, and they then seem to have most of the information about when things were starting, who the barristers were and all these sort of things.
“They wrote an exclusive in March that said that Everton had appointed a guy called Mark Howard KC, who is a top commercial barrister to defend them.
“They also had the information that the case was to start in the autumn, and then we see that apparently it did start last week.
“The parties would have said if that was wrong because everybody’s written it, so I think we can assume it did start last week. The fact that it did start tells you that there was no settlement. That’s the bit I was a bit surprised about.
“It felt to me like something that could be settled just because the range of potential outcomes was quite small. It doesn’t mean it can’t be settled after the start of a hearing, but it’s less likely.”
Everton were docked a total of eight points in the 2023-24 campaign following their spending breaches, with top-flight clubs only permitted to make £105m of losses over a rolling three-year period.
Expert reveals likely outcome in Everton and Burnley legal battle
Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider he expects the Toffees and Burnley to reach a settlement in their legal battle.
Scott Parker led the Clarets back into the Premier League last season, having finished second in the Championship table behind Leeds.
Burnley currently sit 16th in the top-flight table after five games, while Everton are 10th under David Moyes.
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