David Dein is concerned that the Premier League’s move to impose a 10-point deduction on Everton could have dire consequences for Manchester City and Chelsea.
After being found guilty of breaching financial regulations, Everton now finds themselves in the relegation zone as of Friday. However, Everton’s financial matters are not the sole focus of scrutiny.
- Alejandro Garnacho mocked by Man Utd teammate over EAFC 24 team
- Lionel Messi vs Ronaldo: Steven Gerrard names ‘the GOAT’
- Kylian Mbappe names player that deserved to win 2023 Ballon d’Or
Manchester City is grappling with 115 charges, and Chelsea is also being investigated for potential historic breaches.
Given the Premier League’s stringent stance on Everton, despite a relatively minor offense, former Arsenal chairman Dein believes that others should be very concerned about potential consequences, metaphorically suggesting they should be ‘quaking in their boots.’
Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: ‘One has to differentiate between the Premier League charging and what happens after that.
‘It is an independent tribunal, the Premier League actually have nothing to do with the result and the decision.
‘The Premier League do the charging but do not do the judgement.
‘To me, it seems extortionate but there you are. It could have a knock-on effect at other clubs and that would be a disaster.’
On Everton’s plight, Dein added: ‘I actually thought the penalty was excessive. I’d probably go as far as to say over the top.
‘It is all about proportionality and whether the penalty reacts against the crime and what is the proportion there?
‘There was Covid, they were building a new stadium, and in the scheme of things I think it was all about £19million.
‘When you think about how much money is spent in football today, it is not an extraordinary amount of money.’