‘Ludicrous & unfair’ – Premier League rule makers blasted over FFP as the likes of Man City & Chelsea tipped to escape ‘extreme punishments’

Reigning champions City have 115 charges hanging over their head, but no punishment has been handed out as yet. Chelsea are also considered to have breached the current regulations, after splashing out over £1 billion ($1.2bn) in the transfer market since the Todd Boehly-led consortium took control at Stamford Bridge.

Others, such as Everton and Nottingham Forest, have already been sanctioned – with points deductions keeping them locked in the 2023-24 relegation battle. Changes to the current Financial Fair Play and Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) are now being mooted, which could see “extreme punishments” avoided in the future.

Ex-Chelsea and Everton star Pat Nevin is among those questioning what the Premier League are doing, with the Scot saying in the BBC Football Extra Newsletter: “Everton have had another two points taken off them. It is painful, losing 10, getting four back and then losing another two. This entire story has felt like a shambles on all sides. As the rules change – and they most certainly will radically again – will teams who fall foul in future suffer the same extreme punishments? I doubt it, which will mean and feel like Everton, and to a degree Nottingham Forest, will have been singled out for especially egregious treatment.

"I hope this is now over, but I suspect the more that rules are being made and then judged by people with no feel for or love of the game, the more ludicrous and unfair the future of the game will be. The Premier League is a fantastic product that the world loves, despite – not because of –what the game’s controllers are currently doing. PS: I know I am biased as an Evertonian, but I would feel the same if it happened to Liverpool, Manchester United or Tottenham.”

Everton remain two points clear of the drop zone for now, while Forest – who have seen four points taken off them – are only outside of the bottom three on goal difference. Both clubs are appealing their latest penalties, while City and Chelsea wait to discover what their fate will be.