Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has revealed whether Everton knew about their second PSR punishment before Saturday’s 1-0 win over Burnley.
Everton were docked two further points on Monday after breaching the three-year £105million limit by £16.6million.
The outcome has seen Sean Dyche’s side drop to 16th in the table, just two points above Luton Town, who occupy the final relegation berth.
The hearing took place between the 25th and 27th of March. Talking on the Price of Football Podcast, Maguire has opened up on whether Everton would have known their punishment before the Burnley clash.
What has Kieran Maguire said about Everton’s second PSR punishment?
Had Everton been made aware of their deduction before the rest of the league, serious questions over the competition’s integrity would need to be raised.
Before the weekend games, Burnley, Luton Town and Nottingham Forest all assumed Everton were on 29 points.
Maguire has since revealed that he was made aware of the Toffees’ two-point punishment on Thursday last week.
“I was contacted on Thursday and Friday, and I was told it was a two-point deduction,” he explained [Price of Football, 16mins]
“Football, as we know, is full of rumour and gossip. I had a lot of respect for the people who contacted me. I know other journalists had heard. For the sake of transparency, we contacted the Premier League, and they’ve given what I perceive to be a fair answer.”
Maguire added: “The Premier League have said would not know. The only people who would’ve known are lawyers. In the eyes of the Premier League, nobody would’ve known. I think if one club does know and the other doesn’t, it does impact the integrity of the game.”
Everton: Maguire’s revelation yet another error from the Premier League
The Premier League’s handling of the whole saga has been laughable from start to finish.
At no point should there be the genuine possibility of the league table being altered after the final ball has been kicked. Leaking sensitive information before it’s made public is also an error.
Maguire and his sources can be trusted. If he says he heard it was two points on Thursday, it should be taken as gospel. Therefore, the Premier League have allowed information surrounding Everton’s second punishment into the public domain.
As a result, sporting integrity has now been brought into the fray to add another layer of confusion to what has been a mess from start to finish.