The mayor of Greater Manchester has said the Premier League’s treatment of Everton FC has proved “it can’t properly regulate football”.
Andy Burnham said the way officials have handled the Liverpool-based club still “doesn’t feel fair” after its 10-point deduction for breaking financial rules was reduced to six earlier on Monday.
As a long-term Everton fan and season ticket holder, he told Sky News’ the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge he believed an independent regulator was needed instead.
“The Premier League has proved, in my view, that they can’t properly regulate football through the way it’s treated Everton Football Club,” Mr Burnham said.
“We need a strong, independent statutory regulator for football, learning from all of the wrong things that have been done over recent weeks.”
The decision to reduce Everton’s punishment was announced earlier on Monday after the club appealed the sanction on nine grounds – two of which were upheld.
Each ground related to the points’ deduction rather than the breach of the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), which it admitted.
In a lengthy statement issued immediately after the Premier League confirmed the revision, the club said it was “satisfied our appeal has resulted in a reduction in the points sanction”.
‘Can’t celebrate goals’
The club now faces a second PSR complaint for breaching rules over the assessment period running to the end of last season, which Mr Burnham described as amounting to “double jeopardy”.
He said: “There’s been some recognition today that it wasn’t fair. We take that, but they’re trying to place a second charge on Everton. And I would say isn’t that double jeopardy to try and take another process against us for the same thing?
“The club isn’t being treated fairly. I can only speak to you as a season ticket holder and you don’t feel like you can celebrate a goal because you think VAR is going to rule it out.”
Mr Burnham added: “You’re just kind of feeling all the time that the authorities are sort of trying to undermine the club. It doesn’t feel fair.”
The second complaint was laid on 15 January and the case is expected to conclude by 8 April.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants public money to be used to build a new stadium
‘Wembley of the North’
Meanwhile, Mr Burnham was also asked if he would would support Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s proposal to build a so-called ‘Wembley of the North’ to home Manchester United.
Sir Jim has asked for the potential 90,000-seat stadium to be built with public funds to replace Old Trafford, which is considered in need of desperate renovation.
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“I certainly will be working as mayor of Greater Manchester to help, what I would say is the most famous football club in the world, to fulfil their ambitions,” Mr Burnham told Sophy Ridge.
“I think, yes, a stadium in the North of England that could host the FA Cup semi finals again [would be good]. Why shouldn’t those games be back in the North? Why shouldn’t we have England games there?”
Steve Rotheram. Pic: PA
Metro mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, who appeared alongside Mr Burnham on the Politics Hub, said he was sympathetic to the reasoning behind the idea.
He added: “I genuinely do understand it, because what we need are major infrastructure projects in this country. And that means sometimes that you have to put public money in as a catalyst.
“We’ve done that to a certain extent by ensuring that the public realm and the heritage features and the new ground of Everton Bramley-Moore.”
The Premier League declined to comment when contacted by Sky News.
Source Agencies
