Moyes seeks clarity over Premier League’s decision not to deduct points from Chelsea
Manager believes league has left itself open to criticism
Anger at Everton over perceived double standards
David Moyes has called on the Premier League to provide a fuller explanation of why Chelsea were not deducted points for breaking its financial rules under the ownership of Roman Abramovich.
Everton were deducted 10 points in November 2023, reduced to six on appeal, plus a further two points later that season for breaches of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). Nottingham Forest were deducted four points that season for a PSR breach. The Premier League had argued for a 12-point deduction for Everton over the first offence – a breach of £19.5m over a three-year period – and an eight-point deduction for Forest.
The Premier League announced on Monday that Chelsea had received a record fine of £10.75m, a suspended transfer embargo and a nine-month academy transfer ban for engaging in “deception and concealment” when making illicit payments totalling £47.5m to sign players during a seven-year period under Abramovich.
In the written reasons for the “sanction agreement”, the Premier League stressed that Chelsea would not have breached PSR rules and frequently commends the club’s new owners, Clearlake Capital, for self-reporting the breaches. A points deduction in this case “was not appropriate”, according to the agreement signed by the Premier League chief executive Richard Masters.
Everton are angry over the perceived double standards at play in the Premier League’s disciplinary system. Moyes, who was West Ham manager when Everton broke financial rules and received the points deductions, believes the league has left itself open to criticism with the explanation given for Chelsea’s fine.
“I would actually like to hear a bit more about it,” the Everton manager said. “I’m expecting more of the details and why – and this isn’t against Chelsea as I wasn’t at Everton at the time we were deducted a huge points number. I don’t think they have explained it well enough in the reasoning what the fine was and why it was. I think it would be good if we heard a little bit more how they got to that decision of fine with Chelsea rather than a points deduction, for example.”
