News of Everton&aposs punishment on Friday quickly prompted attention to turn to City&aposs position, with speculation over how severe a punishment could be for the Blues. City reiterated their stance this week – that they welcome an independent review of the charges &aposto impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position.&apos
Everton issued a strong statement of their own, saying they intend to appeal and questioning the process that has led to this point. They also made a very strong hint that they will &aposmonitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases concerning the Premier League&aposs profit and sustainability rules.&apos
That points to City, with Everton and other clubs expecting a proportional punishment if they are found to have breached the rules they are accused of. For City, that could be a significantly harsher punishment given they face 114 more charges than Everton did. At the very least, the amount of chatter moving quickly from Goodison Park to the Etihad means the distraction technique has worked a treat from Everton.
The Premier League will have to treat all cases separately, of course, and the panel reviewing City&aposs case is independent, so should not be influenced by other decisions. With more charges to consider, City&aposs case is not expected to be heard or decided upon for some time, so there is every chance Everton&aposs case is resolved before City&aposs.
However, the record-breaking punishment for Everton suggests that City&aposs prospective punishment could be far worse given the weight of charges against them. Charges that, again, City insist they are completely innocent of, and will be cleared of in their entirety.
And if Everton are using City&aposs case in their public statements, it could also put pressure on the Premier League to maintain consistency with their punishments, potentially complicating matters for both clubs if Everton can successfully create a connection between the two separate cases.
