In the name of profit and sustainability, Everton have been handed a 10 point deduction. Rules supposedly designed to encourage club owners to be more reserved with their financial decisions to encourage the long term future of football clubs currently threatens Everton’s existence. It may sound like I’m being dramatic, but I’m not. For a £20million overspend according the the rules, over a period of change for the club which also included a pandemic and a war affecting the clubs major sponsors/investors the premier league status of the team is being threatened. Upon relegation, Everton’s revenue would be less than half, completion of the new stadium comes into serious doubt. Administration could easily follow. The new stadium becomes a scar on liverpool, no economic benefit to the city, left unfinished and gathering dust. Never mind how you feel about Everton, if you like or dislike the players, the fans or anything else. This decision directly affects the city of Liverpool, the north of England and the jobs and livelihoods of many people living in those areas. It affects the bid for the euros, future concerts in the city, events and communities. It kills a regeneration project in an area desperately in need of it. All of this, not because Everton were run so badly that they folded, but because they were punished by a third party in case other clubs made reckless decisions and ended up folding. Everton isn’t just a brand, it’s a business, there are livelihoods attached to it, for some it’s a way of life and it’s a big part of community in the north. If you aren’t sorry or concerned about a decision being made which affects the outcome of a sporting competition, and has negative economic consequences for a city that needs growth and investment, then I think you need to have a real think about what football means in this country. This isn’t a story, it’s not just upset supporters, people could be seriously negatively affected by this.