They were incensed, as were many sections of the footballing world, yet little fuss has been made by anyone other than fans of the club and a select few sections of the media and politics.
The lack of vocal support from other sides is laughable, as this is not just a statute that affects the Toffees. It is the very reason that the smaller clubs are the way they are, as it allows the rich clubs to get richer, and the rest to die trying.
Well, it seems Everton are willing to put their life on the line to fight this injustice, and at last they have learned when their appeal process will commence.
With politicians, particularly Andy Burnham, having emerged to fight the good fight, such a strong case is seemingly being bolstered every other week.
However, the worry with this situation is that nobody can predict how an independent commission might rule, and what unseen biases those appointed could have.
Whilst the likes of KC Laurence Rabinowitz will do all they can to construct the strongest possible argument to ensure the charges don’t stick, at the end of the day there is a degree of luck to these highly subjective proceedings too.
And the only reason they are so subjective is because the Premier League never actually had a punishment plan in place. The ten points stolen from Everton were born of an idea that had no standing in the game, and no history of ever being present.
There are many arguments to be made regarding this situation, with the Liverpool ECHO detailing when they will be heard: ‘Now there is the prospect of having to fight the same battle again, though Everton hope to make progress against the deduction during an appeal hearing that is expected to start this month.’
Already a number of pertinent holes in the Premier League’s sanction have opened up, just by explaining the situation.
Surely someone of Rabinowitz’s experience and intelligence will pick up on these and exploit them accordingly.
It is for these reasons that there should be a degree of confidence that a reduced sentence could be administered, but again it may well rely on the thinking of that commission.
Fortunately, if they are to see their punishment lessened or expunged completely, it would open up a huge precedent for avoiding another long battle over their alleged breach detailed earlier this week.
