23 November 2023 , 11:28
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Gary Neville has slammed the “lawless” Premier League after Everton were hit with a 10-point penalty - but Jamie Carragher insists they only have themselves to blame.
Furious Toffees fans are planning to protest the decision before Sunday’s home clash with Manchester United. The Goodison Park club have been penalised for breaching financial rules by £19.5million in a period including the pandemic. It means Sean Dyche’s side are now down in 19th place on only four points - level with bottom club Burnley.
This week Premier League clubs failed to agree to a ban on loans from clubs where owners also have a stake - opening the way for Newcastle to borrow players from the four PIF-owned Saudi Pro League clubs. And former Manchester United and England star Neville contrasted the treatment of Everton with the six Premier League clubs who attempted to join the European Super League in 2021.
“Everton’s trust and faith [in the Premier League] has gone completely,” Neville told the Stick to Football podcast, with Sky Bet. "The greed and selfishness is out of control - it’s lawless.
"The Premier League is a defunct organisation because they’ve got 20 clubs all voting with self-interest. This has been coming for many years.
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“The Super League clubs that tried to destroy the whole of European football - they were fined a total of £22million, £3.5million for each team, which is an absolute disgrace and a scandal for what they attempted to do, which was the attempted murder of our game.”
Neville has voiced his opinion on Everton's points deduction and the Premier League (Getty Images)But Carragher insisted Everton had been repeatedly warned about their finances by the Premier League - and he branded the club “one of the worst run clubs” in the top flight.
Liverpool legend Carragher said: “I get the points calculation, but Everton are £20million over and how does that equate to 10 points when you think of Portsmouth who went into administration and only lost nine points.
"The frustration from Everton supporters is: it’s not a question of whether they’re guilty or not, it’s the fact that 10 points just seems so strong for this, so I understand Everton supporters, Sean Dyche and the player’s frustrations. But I have always felt that Everton are one of the worst run clubs in the Premier League.
“When you look at the books, they’re only £20 million over and today, when you look at the transfer fees and the money, it doesn’t seem a lot. But on the flip side, how have Everton’s owners looked at that [the books] and continued working with the Premier League, who kept warning them that you’re getting very close, so why did they then spend on one extra player who cost them £10-15 million, because that cost them 10 points.
"The ownership of Everton can’t be angry, they’ve been working with the Premier League who have been warning them of how close they’ve been getting, and then they still overstep it.”