Premier League Big Six punishment exposed – Compare that to PSR/FFP Everton and Forest

It is less than three years ago since the Premier League Big Six were exposed as part of a planned European Super League.

The 12 clubs behind the secret shameful plan were Arsenal, AC Milan, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus.

Their plan was basically to steal football.

Not happy with the dominant position these clubs already had when it came to money and power, they wanted it all.

The European Super League would wipe out out the Champions League and effectively European competition as a whole, instead all of these clubs behind the plan would give themselves automatic places in the new competition every season, without having to do anything so tedious as qualifying via their domestic leagues.

There was mention of the odd token European Super League place to be awarded via old fashioned qualifying, winning matches and all that nonsense. However, the message was clear, all the domestic leagues would be fatally damaged, subservient to these clubs organising their own private dominant new European league. For example, if the Premier League top four no longer automatically qualified for the top European competition and the wealth and prestige it brings, then what worth would the Premier League have any longer?

If not for the public backlash when this European Super League was exposed and the key involvement of the Premier League Big Six, then this was where we heading. Little surprise as well that the American owners of Liverpool, Man U and Arsenal were prime movers in this shameful plan, all of them coming from a sporting culture in the United States were everything is simply constructed to make as much money as possible for the owners of the teams in the various sports.

(What made the whole thing even worse from an English football perspective, was that the European Super League attempt had followed so quickly on from the last shameful Premier League Big Six secret plan. That one had seen the same devious owners, with Man U and Liverpool once again said to be the prime movers, try to give themselves total power in the Premier League. They wanted to draw up new rules where they, the Premier League Big Six, would be given greater voting power than your average PL club, meaning they could then simply change the rules at any time in the future to award themselves ever more money and power, to even further extend the gap between themselves and the rest.)

When the European Super League was exposed and stopped in its tracks by an appalled footballing public, what exactly were the punishments for those clubs who had attempted this theft of football?

Down below I have reproduced the more detailed explanations but the ‘punishment’ was two-fold for the Premier League Big Six, in terms of one punishment from UEFA and then a separate one from the Premier League.

 

UEFA ‘punishment’

In May 2021, UEFA announced (see below) what the punishment would be for Arsenal, AC Milan, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham (Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus hadn’t accepted defeat on the European Super League attempt.

UEFA stating that ‘The nine clubs have agreed to make a combined 15m euros (£13.4m) goodwill contribution to benefit children’s and grassroots football across Europe’, so the Premier League Big Six and the other three clubs paying less than £1.5m each!

UEFA adding ‘They will also have 5% of Uefa competition revenues withheld for one season, starting in 2023-24’, you have to laugh.

This is fitting punishment for what they attempted to do??? An absolute pittance to pay, when the clubs involved were effectively trying to steal football away from the rest.

Premier League ‘punishment’

So what about the punishment for the Premier League Big Six from the Premier League?

The official PL statement in June 2021 about the Premier League Big Six punishment declared ‘As a gesture of goodwill, the clubs have collectively agreed to make a contribution of £22m, which will go towards the good of the game, including new investment in support for fans, grassroots football and community programmes. “The six clubs involved in proposals to form a European Super League have today acknowledged once again that their actions were a mistake, and have reconfirmed their commitment to the Premier League and the future of the English game. They have wholeheartedly apologised to their fans, fellow clubs, the Premier League and The FA.’

That. Was. It.

To put it into perspective, back then when the ‘punishment’ was handed down to the Premier League Big Six for their ‘mistake’ in trying to steal football, the £3.5m each of the six Premier League clubs kindly agreed to pay, was LESS than any of the half dozen’s weekly wage bill!!!

So if they had got away with their European Super League plan they would have scooped the lot and effectively ruined the Premier League, yet when caught out and stopped from doing so, their Premier League punishment was less than what they each pay their playing squad in a week.

PSR/FFP punishments for Everton and Forest (and others…) 

Switching now to Premier League punishments for breaking PSR/FFP rules.

As things stand, Everton have already been docked six points this season for breaking spending rules for the three seasons ending with the 2021/22 one. Whilst Forest have been deducted four points this season for breaking spending rules for the three seasons ending with the 2022/23 one.

Everton are now waiting to hear their verdict and likely second points deduction this season, for allegedly breaking spending rules for the three seasons ending with the 2022/23 one.

Never mind the effect it has on so many other clubs in stopping them trying to compete, both Everton and Forest are facing the very real prospect of relegation, with the deducted points potentially making the difference between survival and the drop.

Forest had waited a couple of decades to get back into the top tier, Everton are a total financial mess to start with and have a very very expensive new stadium set to be finished at last. Fair to say that relegation for either of the clubs could send them spiralling into oblivion. Look at how many years Leeds were in the wilderness, the likes of them, Man City and Sunderland all ending up in the third tier in the Premier League era.

Forget about the identity of these particular clubs, the bottom line is that if we have no sympathy for others, especially when we compare it to the ‘punishments’ for the Premier League Big Six, how can we as Newcastle United fans expect any sympathy if it happens to us and/or this whole thing of the PSR/FFP restrictions that are a massive extra obstacle for clubs that are trying to break apart things at the top end of English football.

Comparing PSR/FFP punishments and the European Super League punishments f0r the Premier League Big Six

I think that yet again the way things are reported in the media in the UK plays a massive part in how public opinion ends up, the things people talk about and the emphasis put on various things.

The whole European Super League thing was less than three years ago and yet it feels like an eternity. Two key reasons for that in my opinion are that the punishment was all but non-existent and so having zero lasting impact on the Premier League Big Six, whilst the media appearing to very quickly forget about it, sweeping it under the carpet.

Just think instead of all the negative media coverage of Newcastle United, it doesn’t matter even if the content of an NUFC story is about something positive that has happened, it will almost inevitably begin with some negative connotation.

When it comes to how the UK media choose to report things and the slant they put on various clubs, when do you ever read or hear in the media reference made to what the likes of Man U, Liverpool and the rest tried to do less than three years ago with the European Super League?

You compare that to the likes of Everton and Forest, if the points deductions lead directly to relegation, the punishment for those clubs and especially their fans, could very possibly be measured in rest of their lifetimes for many of their supporters.

What lasting punishments have the likes of fans of Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal endured, due to the way their clubs shamefully acted?

Whilst there may well be valid debates to be had over financial controls for Premier League clubs and others to try and help avoid financial ruin through spending money more money than they bring in, I think the whole thing has got distorted in terms of how exactly this should be handled and potential punishments.

Whilst the Premier League Big Six tried to steal football and ensure that forever they would be the richest and most powerful, the likes of Forest and Everton basically had owners who were trying to spend their own money on top of the revenues brought in, as they tried to bridge the gap with those above them, who have far bigger revenues.

It feels to me very much like the punishments have got completely distorted and mixed up, the wrong way round.

The ‘crimes’ of the Premier League Big Six and likes of Forest and Everton, as different as say armed robbery and shoplifting.

Yet it is Forest and Everton getting the armed robbery level punishment, whilst the Premier League Big Six got the slap on the wrist for shoplifting a Mars Bar from Tesco.

Points deductions, possible relegation and potential financial ruin for Forest and Everton, whilst effectively no punishment at all for the Premier League Big Six.

As Newcastle United fans we may be feeling a little sore with how this season has turned out, the fates against up.

However, just imagine if you supported Everton or Forest, your club potentially getting relegated and ruined for years to come, whilst the Premier League Big Six allowed to carry on regardless.

Modern football…

Sky Sports report on Premier League Big Six punishments – 10 June 2021:

‘The six English clubs which secretly agreed to play in a European Super League (ESL) will pay a combined £22m to draw a line under their ensuing row with the Premier League.

The figure was announced in a joint statement by the Premier League and the Football Association on Wednesday afternoon.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham have also agreed to an additional £25m fine and a potential 30-point deduction for any similar transgression in the future.

“The six clubs involved in proposals to form a European Super League have today acknowledged once again that their actions were a mistake, and have reconfirmed their commitment to the Premier League and the future of the English game,” the statement read.

“They have wholeheartedly apologised to their fans, fellow clubs, the Premier League and The FA.

“As a gesture of goodwill, the clubs have collectively agreed to make a contribution of £22m, which will go towards the good of the game, including new investment in support for fans, grassroots football and community programmes.

“Furthermore, the clubs have agreed to support rule changes so that any similar actions in the future would lead to a 30-point deduction.

“Each of the six clubs, in that event, would also be subject to an additional £25m fine.

“The Premier League and The FA have worked closely together throughout this process and this agreement brings both investigations into the matter to a conclusion.”

The (UEFA) Champions League punishments – Announced May 2021:

‘The nine clubs have agreed to make a combined 15m euros (£13.4m) goodwill contribution to benefit children’s and grassroots football across Europe.

They will also have 5% of Uefa competition revenues withheld for one season, starting in 2023-24, and this money will be redistributed, including in the UK.

The nine clubs face fines of 100m euros (£86.9m per Premier League club) each if they seek to join an unauthorised competition in the future, and a fine of half that if they breach any other terms of the declaration, Uefa said in a statement in May 2021.’

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin when the punishments were announced in early May 2021:

“I said at the Uefa congress two weeks ago that it takes a strong organisation to admit making a mistake, especially in these days of trial by social media. These clubs have done just that.

“In accepting their commitments and willingness to repair the disruption they caused, Uefa wants to put this chapter behind it and move forward in a positive spirit.

“These clubs recognised their mistakes quickly and have taken action to demonstrate their contrition and future commitment to European football.

“The same cannot be said for the clubs that remain involved in the so-called Super League and Uefa will deal with those clubs subsequently.”