Leeds United refuse to confirm £300m legal threat to Everton amid failed hearing request – Martyn Ziegler
Leeds United and company have “distanced themselves” from reported legal papers being filed against Everton after they “failed” to push for the independent FFP hearing to be brought forward, The Times reports.
The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday night (16 May) that the Whites had joined forces with Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Leicester and Burnley to sign up as a party to the spending dispute between the Toffees and the Premier League, seeking £100million each for whichever three go down if Everton are found guilty.
This was said to be in response to their attempt to speed up the timeframe for the hearing in order for any punishment to be meted out to Goodison Park before next season, but while they have indeed been unsuccessful in that aim the clubs are reportedly unwilling to be linked to the legal threat at this stage.
Martyn Zeigler reports in The Times: “Other teams in relegation trouble — understood to be Leeds United, Southampton, Leicester City and Nottingham Forest — had wanted any sanctions to be imposed well before the start of next season.
“Club sources say the message has come back from the Premier League that the disciplinary hearing must follow due process and cannot be expedited because of the wishes of other parties.”
He added: “The clubs who asked for the fast-tracked hearing have distanced themselves from reports that they have lodged legal papers with the league this season.”
Upset
With Everton having registered well over £300million in losses during the rolling three-year window in each of the past two sets of accounts, with the permitted limit £105million, other clubs are clearly unhappy.
Leeds and Burnley were ready to sue last year dissuaded by Premier League assurances around Covid-19 allowances, but the March league profit and sustainability charge this time around has changed that and clubs don’t want to go down to the Championship if a team that has broken the rules doesn’t.
It is undoubtedly a messy situation, but when the stakes are so high for clubs likes Leeds, and indeed Everton, in terms of staying in the top flight boards won’t like leaving anything to chance.
Getting the independent commission hearing brought forward always sounded like a long shot, but even if club’s aren’t willing to confirm the reported legal action threat that doesn’t mean it isn’t in their thinking.
When two of the clubs involved, including the Whites, were ready to go down exactly that route a year ago it isn’t a huge stretch to imagine them doing so again this year, and if hundreds of millions are on the table in compensation then the other relegation rivals would likely want in too.
If Sam Allardyce keeps his side up over the final two games, if Sean Dyche fails to do the same, or if Everton are cleared by the commission then it likely wouldn’t come to pass anyway, but the numbers on Merseyside are clearly causing some consternation on the outside until an investigation determines if a breach has actually occurred.
It goes without saying that the next two weeks will have major implications for all of the sides involved, but quite how major likely won’t become clear for some months.
In other Leeds United news, Allardyce has been accused of making a major mistakes that has relegated the club.