The Everton Fans' Forum has issued a statement expressing their “anger and disbelief” over the legal ruling that has ordered the club to pay £35 million to Burnley, highlighting the contrast with Chelsea's recent punishment.
Background of the Case
The case – heard by the same Premier League commission that initially handed Everton a 10-point deduction, later reduced to six points on appeal – relates to the 2021/22 season, when the club was found to have broken profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) over a three-year period.
Burnley argued the breach impacted their chances of staying in the Premier League and sought compensation for the losses associated with being relegated. The Clarets have been awarded £26 million in damages and a further £9 million in interest.
Everton have appealed, with sources saying they will robustly and thoroughly contest the ruling. The club said in a statement they were “surprised and angered” by the decision and were “clear in the belief the ruling is fundamentally flawed in both law and fact.”
Fans' Forum Statement
Now the Everton Fans' Forum, an independent group of supporters elected by Evertonians to represent the voice of the fans, has issued the following statement:
The Everton Fans' Forum shares the anger and disbelief felt by Evertonians following the decision to order Everton to pay Burnley close to £40 million in compensation.
A week on from the judgment, the Forum has taken the time to fully review the information set out and consider the implications for Everton supporters and wider football.
Every member of the Forum is appalled by the outcome and what it says about fairness, consistency and Premier League governance. Supporters are not legal experts, however they do not need to be to see when something does not feel right.
Everton are being pursued and punished for close to £40 million by a club relegated on the pitch before Everton's financial year had even closed, let alone before any PSR charge had been brought.
Chelsea, meanwhile, received a £10 million Premier League fine for breaches involving undisclosed payments linked to players, agents and intermediaries during one of the most successful periods in that club's history.
The contrast is made even harder to accept when supporters remember that the six Premier League clubs involved in the attempted European Super League breakaway received a combined £22 million settlement – around £3.5 million per club – despite backing a plan that threatened the very foundations of the English football pyramid.
No football fan would look at those outcomes and call the Premier League's system fair, consistent or proportionate.
That anger is only made worse by the fact this decision came from the same panel that originally deducted Everton 10 points – a sanction many in football believe was wildly out of step with punishments imposed on other clubs for more serious breaches.
Evertonians are entitled to ask how a decision of that scale could be so harsh, and why the same process has now delivered another severe consequence for their club from the very same people.
At the same time, one of the most significant cases in Premier League history, involving 115 charges and allegations dating back to 2009, remains unresolved years after charges were brought.
Everton have already been financially restricted, punished with points deductions and forced through two seasons of uncertainty. Now the club is being hit again.
This is why so many supporters believe Everton have been made an example of.
The Premier League talks about sporting integrity. But there is no integrity in a system where different clubs appear to face different timelines, different treatment and wildly different consequences.
Right now, supporters do not trust that system or the Premier League.
Football needs accountability. Supporters deserve transparency. Evertonians are right to demand both.
