Financial Fairplay Investigation - 2025 Nobody in Breach

[TheRam]

Go on big Rabz

[Trowel]

And people thought we wouldn't recruit big in the January window.

[Juanito]

Everton add Laurence Rabinowitz KC to legal team before appeal
Club believe he is one of the leading barristers in the UK

Everton have bolstered their legal team for the club’s appeal against their ten-point deduction by appointing one of the UK’s top barristers.
Laurence Rabinowitz KC is regarded as a “super silk” and the decision to hire him demonstrates the club’s determination to challenge the punishment for breaching profit and sustainability rules when the case is reconvened in the near future.

An independent commission sanctioned Everton in November after they admitted to breaking Premier League spending rules, which allow for losses of £105 million over a three-year period. They accepted they had gone above that threshold by £9.7 million, although argued that a number of mitigating factors, including interest on stadium loans, should have been taken into account.

The penalty, which was greater than the nine-point deduction handed to Portsmouth when they went into administration, was described as “wholly disproportionate and unjust” by the club.

An appeal was lodged with the chair of the Premier League’s judicial panel and a new commission will now hear the case.

Rabinowitz, who specialises in commercial litigation, will lead the appeal and work in tandem with James Segan KC, who represented Everton at the original hearing.

His appointment is regarded by Everton as a coup given he is in huge demand and they believe he falls alongside Lord Pannick KC, who has been hired by Manchester City in their fight against 115 Premier League charges, and Jonathan Crow as the best in the United Kingdom.

The appeal does not allow new evidence to be presented but will instead focus on the regulatory process followed by the three-man panel who decided upon the ten point deduction and what was presented in the commission’s conclusion.

Everton feel they have a strong case to challenge the severity of the punishment, the result of which means they are 17th in the top flight, a point above the relegation zone.

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Feel like the bit I've bolded will be quite easy to pick holes in based on what we've heard since about the 'framework' used to dish out the punishment.

Beating these, aren’t we?

[Blueomar]

Trying to understand how they've only hired him just now? Would it not have been better to hire prior to the points deduction or immediately following it rather than waiting 6 weeks?

[Granite]

Beating these, aren’t we?

We’re getting 10 points back + another 10 for defamation

[Granite]

Trying to understand how they've only hired him just now? Would it not have been better to hire prior to the points deduction or immediately following it rather than waiting 6 weeks?

Who was really in charge though? Without being crass, our chairman had been gravely ill, Mosh wasn’t interested and DBB was out of her depth.

777 should probably put this guy on retainer, got no forward.

[cassius]

Super Silk:

A limited number of senior barristers receive 'silk' - becoming King's Counsel - as a mark of outstanding ability. They are normally instructed in very serious or complex cases. Most senior judges once practised as KCs. Those barristers who 'took silk' during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II were Queen's Counsel (QC).

[Cereal Killer]

Trying to understand how they've only hired him just now? Would it not have been better to hire prior to the points deduction or immediately following it rather than waiting 6 weeks?

He’s probably been busy with other work? Not sure he’s just sat around waiting for Everton to give him a call

[Bluedylan1]

It does seem incredibly late to bring him in like, when we're awaiting the outcome of the appeal any day now. Almost seems like we've seen what Forest have done and gone ''oh shit, should we have invested in a legal team?''

Maybe it's in anticipation of a second deduction.

[Cozzie]

The club probably felt like they where gonna be OK due to the fact we where complying and working with the PL.

However, it's likely just the usual incompetence from the club.

[Bluedylan1]

The club probably felt like they where gonna be OK due to the fact we where complying and working with the PL.

However, it's likely just the usual incompetence from the club.

In hindsight, I suppose you'd say extremely naïve, and completely rudderless with no real leadership on the corporate/commercial side of the club for a while now.

If you were accused of murder, and you were completely innocent, you would still get the best lawyer you could possibly get ASAP.

[Escalator]

Yeah, but I do think that it has more to do with what you said about anticipating a second deduction.

[Cods]

If Lord Pannick was priced at between 5-10k an hour then you wouldnt necessarily want our fellow billing us for weeks at around £0.1m per day unless the cost was estimated to be significantly less than what we would stand to lose. eg probably only in the case of likely relegation, given each place on the table is worth only £2.2m. This isnt that complex a case to argue.

[brap2]

It does seem incredibly late to bring him in like, when we're awaiting the outcome of the appeal any day now. Almost seems like we've seen what Forest have done and gone ''oh shit, should we have invested in a legal team?''

Maybe it's in anticipation of a second deduction.

God almighty

[brap2]

I'll be honest I didn't really understand the process and still don't. I assumed we'd made our case and the appeal board was reviewing it, but apparently there's some kind of other part of this where we have a last minute super lawyer who can make the case...that we've already submitted?!

Fuck knows.

If there's a second deduction though, count me out. I'm out, I'm done, I'll watch Bootle for a few years. It would be just too much.