A group of Premier League clubs have failed in a bid to have Everton’s charge for breaching Financial Fair Play rules fast-tracked so that it is dealt with before the end of the season.
Other teams in relegation trouble — understood to be Leeds
United, Southampton, Leicester City and Nottingham Forest — had wanted any
sanctions to be imposed well before the start of next season.
Club sources say the message has come back from the Premier
League that the disciplinary hearing must follow due process and cannot be
expedited because of the wishes of other parties.
In May last year, Burnley and Leeds demanded access to any
evidence the Premier League had collected about Everton’s finances and any
provisional ruling it may have made about possible rule breaches, and
threatened to bring a legal action for substantial damages against the Premier
League and Everton.
The clubs who asked for the fast-tracked hearing have
distanced themselves from reports that they have lodged legal papers with the
league this season.
The timescale for Everton’s case to be heard remains unclear
but FFP cases in the Sky Bet Championship have taken between 18 months and two
years to reach a conclusion.
Everton insist they remain confident they will be cleared of
breaching the rules. The club face the possibility of a points deduction after
the club was referred to an independent commission by the Premier League over
an alleged breach of profit and sustainability rules.
The Premier League has charged Everton with breaching its
rules for the period ending season 2021-22, although it has not gone into
specifics. There is no set sanction should Everton be found guilty as no case
has ever been heard before in the top flight.
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