Rob Edwards, the manager of Luton, has demanded immediate “clarity” over the Premier League’s recent point deductions. Because of the appeals process, teams may find themselves in the absurd situation of not knowing their destiny until the end of the season.
Nottingham Forest, a team in the relegation zone, was docked four points last week for violating the profit and sustainability rules. An independent commission found that the team should have been docked six points overall, but that was lowered by two because the team acknowledged the infraction and cooperated fully with the investigation. Luton moved above Nuno EspÃrito Santo’s team, sending them into the relegation zone; the former European champions have subsequently disputed the decision.
As a result, the deadline for concluding any hearing is May 24, five days after the last top flight game of the season is played, with Forest visiting Burnley on May 19 and Luton hosting Fulham at home on May 19. But things get even more convoluted since Everton, another struggling team that has already lost 10 points this season—now down to six—also has an FA complaint against them pending for their second rule violation.
Given the ambiguity surrounding the run-in, Edwards simply wants the constantly shifting situation to be clarified, stating: “We have to accept it because nobody is going to pay attention to us and tell us Luton isn’t happy about it, so we better fix it. We’ll take care of it. I’m sure all clubs want is clarity, and we want it as soon as possible.
“After the final whistle of the season’s final game, I believe the hardest part will be over. Nobody really wants that since, let’s face it, we all know where we are, and you really want it to be a celebration. It will be really difficult for whoever club is in that scenario to perhaps have to wait four or five days before finding out their fate, but if that’s the case, it’s not like we can influence anyone’s decision any way. It is what it is, but in the end, we want things to be as clear as possible so that everyone is aware of their position.
The Town winger, Andros Townsend, called the current situation “nonsense” and expressed his fear that it will create a “mockery” of the Premier League in an interview with the BBC’s Monday Night Club this week. Edward went on, “It’s unique, it’s different,” but he felt that it could have been handled better, despite not using quite as strong words.
“During the interview, I used the word mental. I believe that everyone will find it difficult if it continues past the end of the season. Since it has happened to two football teams in one season, it is special and I know everyone is talking about it. This has never happened before, and the Premier League and its enormous prize money are the high stakes. Although I’m sure the guys will discuss it, as a group, we won’t say, “Well, we’ll bank on this, we can’t,” about it when we’re sitting here.
Luton can make a big decision about their own destiny with nine games remaining if they can accumulate the necessary points to finish outside of the bottom three and avoid worrying about what might or might not happen by mid-May. Edwards stated, “We have to try and make sure it is in our hands,” as his goal. We have enough points at our disposal to avoid that talk, though I understand that will be very challenging for us given the number of challenging games we still have to play.
“Our goal, and I’m sure everyone else’s goal, is that by the time the final siren sounds on the last day of the season, they won’t be in that circumstance and will have earned enough points by hard work and determination. If, however, that doesn’t happen, we’ll address it as soon as it occurs. Not only are we aware of it, who wouldn’t be? It’s not something we consider.
“We are limited to what we can control, which is attempting to score as many points as we can. If not, it really doesn’t matter what happens—whether points are deducted, whether appeals are successful, or not. We are obviously implicated in this bizarre circumstance, but it’s hard to talk about because it’s not something that directly affects us.
“We’re not really sure what it will take, but all we can do is try to finish ahead of them (Forest). We must ensure that we are included in the mix; otherwise, it makes no difference at all if we fail to perform to the acceptable standard and receive the necessary number of points.
Edwards stated, “We’d take it any way, of course we will, but I don’t think anyone likes to see it.” He doesn’t want to see any team lose points, but he would accept it if it meant the Hatters playing in the top division of English football for another season. That’s what I have to say, and I also don’t want to be the ones to say, “Oh, you stayed up because of that.” It is imperative that we endeavour to disengage ourselves from the discourse by attempting to obtain a sufficient number of points.
“The situation we’re in right now will not be easy, but we must persevere and remain believing in order to win the battle. Although nobody wants to witness that, everyone must make an effort to abide by the rules. Thus, that aspect of it also exists. We just have to take care of ourselves and strive to win games—I know it’s a hot topic.
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