- Everton-Burnley case to have big implications for football
- How Manchester City and Chelsea could be impacted
- Could Newcastle United have a case for 2015/16 relegation
The news that Burnley have won their case against Everton and are owed up to £40m in compensation for the year they were relegated will have big implications for the future of football.
Burnley have essentially been able to prove that the financial breaches made by Everton, which resulted in a six-point deduction back in 2023, had a direct sporting impact on their ability to stay in the Premier League that season.
The ruling has set a big precedent in English football, one that could have a huge impact on both the historic case of Chelsea and the present 115 charges on Manchester City, especially given that both of those breaches are much larger than Everton’s.
Essentially, the conclusion of the Everton-Burnley case means that there will be a plethora of Premier League clubs lining up legal action against both Chelsea and Manchester City, with a similar accusation of sporting integrity in mind.
Any club that has been affected by the breaches made by those two clubs will at least have a case to try and get a ruling in their favour.
Exactly who those clubs are remains to be seen; there is a huge historical database of results and nuances that need studying to decipher that. But, having done some research, is it possible that Newcastle United have a case?
Newcastle United possible case against Chelsea
Before we go deeper, it is worth noting that Chelsea’s breaches of the financial rules are historical and took place between 2011 and 2018. They also did not breach the PSR rules during this period, and their sanctions were related to illegal underhand payments, which were made to skirt around the rules.
All of that means that this would very much be a long shot, but who knows what a professional lawyer may find?
To understand where Newcastle’s rather convoluted claim could come from, we must go back to the 2015/16 campaign. The Magpies were relegated by two points behind rivals Sunderland despite a much-improved late run under Rafa Benitez.
During that season, as with any other, Newcastle played Chelsea twice. One of those ended in a 2-2 draw, with Chelsea scoring two late goals at St James’ Park, and the other was a thumping 5-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
There were a couple of players in that Chelsea squad whose transfers were implicated in the breaches. Those being Eden Hazard and Willian.
Both of those players started both of the fixtures against Newcastle United that season, with Willian scoring in both, including the crucial 86th-minute equaliser at St James’ Park that cost Newcastle two points. A tally that would have put them level on points with Sunderland.
What would Newcastle have to prove?
This is where it gets tricky.
Firstly, there is no readily available information to suggest that Chelsea wouldn’t have been able to sign either Willian or Hazard had they not received the underhand payments, which Newcastle would have to prove to create a strong case.
The Magpies would also have to prove that the financial breaches had a direct impact on the club’s Premier League status.
Of course, Willian, whose deal was deemed to be a result of dodgy cash, scored and cost the club two more points, but he and Hazard both also played in a 3-2 loss to Sunderland, which was ultimately one of the games that impacted Newcastle’s relegation. That result alone would likely weaken Newcastle’s case.
In simple terms, Newcastle’s claim would be ‘Chelsea fielded a squad partly assembled using undisclosed payments, and that contributed to sporting outcomes’.
Would it actually happen?
In many ways, we don’t know what is going on behind the scenes. The club will likely be looking into any sort of way they could maybe make a claim, and this does feel like the most plausible route.
But it would be very difficult to prove, and the argument Newcastle would have is one that has never been tested successfully.
Newcastle United are, of course, also under new ownership and in a very different place from where they were back in 2015/16. Whether the new owners would even want to contest something that actually had no impact on their own period of financial backing at the club is unknown.
But even if it isn’t Newcastle United that puts in a case regarding these breaches, some clubs will. And, if any of those cases are upheld, it will undoubtedly weaken Chelsea and Manchester City, who will be rivals of Newcastle in the coming years.
