Everton fans booed Chelsea’s now-famous centre-circle ritual before the Premier League game at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday night. In recent weeks, many people have criticised the Blues’ pre-game huddle, but the Toffees’ anger seemed to come from something much deeper than the team-building activity.
Earlier this week, Chelsea were given the biggest fine in Premier League history, £10.75 million, and a suspended one-year transfer ban. This was because undisclosed payments totalling more than £47 million were made by the former owner, Roman Abramovich, between 2011 and 2018. The London club also got a nine-month transfer ban for their academy right away, but they didn’t lose any points, which has made some fans in English football very angry.
The Blue Merseysiders feel especially wronged. Everton lost 10 points in November 2023, but the penalty was later reduced to six on appeal. They also lost two more points that same season for breaking the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules. Those punishments almost put the Toffees in a fight to stay up, and they hurt the fans deeply.
It wasn’t surprising that there were boos before the Premier League anthem, since fans made it very clear how unhappy they were with the league. Chelsea’s centre-circle huddle has gotten boos from fans of other teams and complaints from players during games against Aston Villa and Wrexham, but the hostility at Hill Dickinson Stadium was much stronger.
The Premier League said that Chelsea’s new owners’ willingness to cooperate and self-report was an important factor in deciding the punishment. But many fans and experts think the punishment isn’t harsh enough, especially when you consider the penalties Everton and Nottingham Forest have already faced for breaking the rules on money.
David Moyes Questions Premier League’s Decision Not To Deduct Points From Chelsea
When asked about Chelsea’s punishment before the game, Everton manager David Moyes did not hold back. The Scot said that the Premier League hadn’t done a good enough job of explaining why Chelsea didn’t get a sports punishment. He made a strong case for the governing body to be more open.
“I don’t think they have explained it well enough in the reasoning what the fine was and why it was. I think they have to explain exactly what has happened here. If they don’t then we are never going to understand their reasoning why…
What would you rather have, a £10m fine or a ten-point deduction? The money you get for your league place now, that might cover it. It would be good if we could get more of an explanation. How much is the £10m fine having an effect, really?”
Moyes based his argument on proportionality, asking whether a fine has the same effect as taking away points in stopping clubs from breaking the rules. Keith Hackett, a former Premier League referee, has since supported the Everton manager, saying that Moyes should not be punished for asking the question and that there should be more openness.