25 October 2023 , 15:03
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Jamie Carragher thinks Manchester City will be relegated FIVE divisions if the Premier League's Everton punishment is approved.
The Premier League wants Everton to receive a 12-point deduction for allegedly breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. It's claimed the Toffees have recorded financial loses of £371.8million, £266.8m over budget. Everton are confident of avoiding punishment.
Yet Everton aren't the only club in trouble. The Premier League charged City with more than 100 breaches of its financial rules in February following a four-year investigation. It's unclear what sanction the champions of England could face.
Liverpool legend Carragher, who is a boyhood Everton fan, has defended the struggling Merseyside club and urged the media to focus on City again. He believes City's case is much more severe than Everton's and should carry a greater punishment.
Carragher responded on X after learning about Everton's potential punishment. He wrote: "The PL want a 12-point deduction for Everton for one charge. Man City are going to end up in the National League North if the PL get their way!
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"Unbelievable the amount of stories that come out of Everton's situation. But Man City's, which has 114 more charges and gone on for much longer, has all gone very quiet."
Everton's proposed punishment would be the biggest in Premier League history, surpassing the nine points Portsmouth were deducted in 2010 for entering administration and the three points Middlesbrough were deducted in 1997 for failing to field a team. Worryingly for Toffees fans, both clubs suffered relegation after their respective punishments.
Everton and Manchester City are both in trouble with the Premier League (Getty Images)What do you make of Everton's proposed punishment? Let us know in the comments below!
If Everton received a 12-point deduction today, they would drop to the bottom of the table and sit on -5 points - 11 points from safety. Other possible punishments include a fine, a transfer embargo and a more lenient points deduction.
The Premier League has proposed Everton's punishment but an independent commission will decide whether it is implemented. The Toffees will "robustly defend" their case and cite Covid-related exemptions. It's unclear when the case will be put to bed.
Regarding City, it could take a while for their fate to be revealed. Due to the unprecedented nature of City's charges, it's too early to say how severe their punishment could be if found guilty. They would drop to League Two if expelled from the Premier League because the EFL wouldn't allow them to go into the Championship, their highest division.
City boss Pep Guardiola has urged the Premier League to resolve the situation "as soon as possible". Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Sport "senior sources" at City are "very relaxed about the charges" because some of them are quite minor.