Everton have been punished with a 10-point deduction by the Premier League.
A lawyer who had advised Manchester City has claimed the club could be relegated if proven guilty of breaking Premier League rules.
Everton were hit with a 10-point deduction having been deemed to have breached profit and sustainability regulations.
It is an unprecedented punishment in the history of the top flight, with the Toffees ‘shocked’ by the decision, and it has dragged the Merseyside outfit to 19th in the table.
In February, the Premier League charged City with more than 100 charges of breaking financial rules, but the Etihad Stadium outfit have denied any wrongdoing.
City have won the title in five of the previous six seasons with Liverpool finishing as runners-up on two occasions.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that the Premier League and the FA are investigating Chelsea for ‘secret payments’ under former owner Roman Abramovich.
Stefan Borson, the chief executive of Watchstone Group, believes that given the punishment that “Everton were hit with, City and Chelsea’s could be more severe if indeed guilty.
He posted on X:
“Without seeing the judgment or award, to me, 10 points for Everton seems harsh for a straightforward FFP breach, but reinforces that sanctions against City (if proven) and now Chelsea (if charged and admitted on the off-books payments) will be potentially relegation-inducing.”