Liverpool, England — The announcement rang out around Goodison Park before kick-off and the start of the second half. In a clear and dignified voice, he warned Everton fans not to trespass on the field or throw objects at players on the field under any circumstances.
With Everton’s long-held position in the English Premier League hanging on a loose thread, it was natural to think that Sunday afternoon would end in one of two ways: ecstasy or anger. There was no third option. In reality, the final race of the season will decide which one will come true.
In the end, the former won. Everton beat Bournemouth 1-0 with a vital goal from midfielder Abdullah Doukoure, leaving Leicester City and Leeds United, two sides that have been stalled waiting for Sean Daiche’s Everton side to falter. rendered the results irrelevant. Leeds lost, Leicester won. Both were relegated anyway. For the second time in two seasons, Everton held onto their elite status with claw speed.
That was a real reason to celebrate. Within seconds of the final whistle, fans were on the field ignoring the increasingly compelling voices on the public address system. Flags fluttered on their backs. Blue smoke was rising from the fireworks. Children were skating on their knees on the lawn.
But relief is not the same as joy. As the fans roamed the field, many drifted like they were on autopilot toward the area under the director’s box. Regular tenants, Everton owners, executives and power brokers, have been absent since January when they were advised to stay away for their own safety.
Still, this was an opportunity for fans to send a message. Loudly and repeatedly, they set aside jubilant voices to demand the dismissal of the club’s board of directors. In the moment of victory, or at least what might have been close to it, the minds of Everton fans almost immediately turned to rebellion.
There’s a reason for that. Goodison Park’s current government has not only caused one of the great clubs in English football’s tradition to decline through a combination of sloppy planning, reckless spending and good old-fashioned lack of wisdom.
Even Daish, who was brought in as a firefighter, seemed determined after the game to point out that surviving shouldn’t be something to be proud of. “There’s still a lot of work to do,” he said, hinting to fans the idea of more challenges ahead. “This has been going on for two years. It’s not something that can be fixed quickly.”
Of course it is true. With Farhad Mosiri’s ownership, Everton continue to see more and more of these days on a regular basis: days of fear, danger and terror. But what’s more abhorrent and more urgent is that the club is so poorly run that this game, this win, may be nothing more than a reprieve.
The Premier League in March accused Everton of failing to comply with its catchy title ‘Rules on Profit and Sustainability’, formerly known as Financial Fair Play. Between 2018 and 2021, the club posted losses of around $460 million, three times the amount allowed by league rules.
The case is slowly making its way through the league’s labyrinthine quasi-judicial system. An independent commission will be appointed to investigate. representation will take place. No doubt an appeal will be filed. The whole process has dragged on so long that even the Premier League itself has suggested it may need to be sped up a bit.
Ultimately, Everton’s punishment could go beyond compensatory payments to Leeds, Leicester and Southampton, the three teams relegated this season. A points penalty could be imposed next season. You may also be charged retroactively against this campaign. Everton are currently avoiding relegation. But the status quo remains.
Whether the lawsuit with Everton is good or bad, the fact that it can’t make the standings after 38 games has been played should be quite an embarrassment for the most popular sporting competition on the planet. .
The season is over, but the Premier League cannot say for sure which 20 teams will be in the squad next season. Considering there is also an unresolved lawsuit against Manchester City, champions of the past three seasons and on the brink of a domestic and European treble, everything that has happened in the last 10 months is still subject to change. It is no exaggeration to say that there are
Its importance cannot be underestimated. If the Premier League can’t convince teams to abide by its own set of rules, it’s more a matter of legitimacy than regulation. Sport is effectively regulated by consent. If the process is deemed polluted, the consent will be withdrawn if the playing field is deemed unequal.
More importantly, the people who watch the league — the people who follow it, fund it, give it non-essential importance — have some sense of what they are seeing. I can’t believe there is. If the outcome of a match is not known until legal proceedings are completed, the match itself becomes secondary.
Shortly after Douculet’s goal, as Goodison Park erupted, bounced and melted, fireworks exploded in the sky just above the Gwyreddys Street Stand. In fact, they emitted more sound than light. Its shine and shimmer loses just a little bit when exposed to bright sunlight.
Yet the thud evoked cathartic and ecstatic cries from the crowd, each one step closer to salvation. However, the display felt a little premature. There were still 30 minutes left in the match. All Bournemouth had to do was score and a win for Leicester would change everything.
Everton arrogantly survived the bush. He made it to the end unscathed. As the whistle blew and fans flooded the field, the screens showed the table and the team took 17th place and sanctuary. Yet there was still a sense of uncertainty, a dull sense of dread that things were not yet settled. No one yet knows exactly what to celebrate, but fireworks have been launched.
