Everton fans celebrated the return of Premier League football after the last international window of the year by engaging in that increasingly dominant form of 21st-century street life: the anti-corruption protest.
Everton fans groups had organised a day of rage against the 10-point penalty imposed on the club by an independent commission last week. They had already hired a plane to fly over the Man City v Liverpool game on Saturday with the message “PREMIER LEAGUE = CORRUPT #UTFT #EFC” (UTFT stands for ‘up the f**king Toffees’). Of course the Sky cameras ignored it, but #UTFT spread the images worldwide.
Fans arrived in their seats to find pink cards bearing the Premier League lion logo and the word “Corrupt”. On the reverse were printed the instructions; “Please hold this card up 1) as the players line up for the Premier League anthem 2) on the 10th minute.” “Where there is power, greed and money ... there is corruption” read a banner draped from the Goodison stands. “Corrupt – an independent review to avoid independent regulation,” read another.
When the teams walked out on the pitch they were greeted by boos and screams of fury. The Goodison stands turned pink as fans held up the “Corrupt cards”. It was a magnificent show of belligerence designed to inspire the home team’s defiance. Two minutes later Manchester United were leading after Alejandro Garnacho scored probably the best bicycle kick in Premier League history. You see such things, and what can you say but ... “Everton”.
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In the 10th minute the Everton fans stepped up the protests as scheduled, again raising the cards and singing “Premier League, corrupt as f**k.” Out on the field the referee John Brooks was treating Everton much as you would expect an official in the corrupt Premier League to do. In the 29th minute, Garnacho kicked the ball away after Brooks turned his back. When Everton players pointed this out to Brooks, he promptly booked Abdoulaye Doucouré, in accordance with Howard Webb’s recently renewed “snitches get stitches” directive.
There was more anger as Brooks ignored a bookable foul by Bruno Fernandes, preferring to play a non-existent advantage to Everton rather than award them a free-kick that could have been delivered towards James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite in the box.
When Brooks eventually found it in his heart to book a United player – showing a yellow card to Anthony Martial for simulation 10 minutes into the second half – an intervention from VAR turned it from a free kick to Everton into a penalty for Manchester United, which Marcus Rashford scored.
[ Garnacho’s wonder strike headlines Manchester United’s comfortable win at EvertonOpens in new window ]
That was the end of the game as a contest, though there was time for Anthony Martial to add a third with an almost contemptuous flick past Jordan Pickford. Martial, for years a byword for lavishly-rewarded mediocrity, never looks so masterful as when he plays against Everton: he has scored nine goals against them, at least three more than he has managed against any other team.
The result left Everton 19th in the league on four points, ahead of Burnley on goal difference but a point behind Sheffield United and five behind Luton. There has been a certain amount of bullish commentary about the points deduction – much of it from pundits who have nothing to do with Everton – to the effect that “Everton will stay up anyway”.
So far, Everton’s on-field performances have been worth 14 points from 13 games, putting them on target for a 41-point season. That would certainly be enough to stay up – but 31 points might not be. Leeds United had 15 points from the first 13 games last season, and ended up going down with 31. Four of Everton’s next six games are against Newcastle, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City, and the other two are against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and Burnley. A bad run at this point and defiance could crumble into something more like despair.
It is therefore no surprise that Everton intend to appeal against the sanction: if you’ve got a last roll of the dice, no matter how desperate, you might as well give it a go.
But it’s difficult for a neutral observer to share the conviction of the Everton supporters that the Commission’s decision means the Premier League is corrupt. Reading the written reasons for the judgment, the picture that emerges is clear. Everton knew the rules, they broke the rules, they have accepted that they broke the rules, and now they have been punished for breaking the rules.
The purpose of the profitability and sustainability rules is twofold: one, to prevent clubs overspending and “doing a Leeds”; two, to protect all clubs from the inflationary pressures which are introduced when rich owners try to buy success. There are those who argue that these rules should not be there in the first place, but holding that opinion does not entitle clubs to break them.
Everton suggested that their punishment ought to be a fine or a transfer ban, but the Commission thought otherwise: “A financial penalty for a club that enjoys the support of a wealthy owner is not a sufficient penalty. We agree with the Premier League that the requirements of punishment, deterrence, vindication of compliant clubs, and the protection of the integrity of the sport demand a sporting sanction in the form of a points deduction.”
One high-profile Evertonian – the Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham – claims the 10-point penalty “raises concerns for anyone who cares about the integrity of English football”. But if enforcing its own rules makes the Premier League corrupt, what would we call a league that didn’t enforce them? Maybe we’ll have to wait until the end of the Manchester City case to find out.
