Everton in ‘tapping up’ trouble, could face points deduction

Everton are already facing a fullblown injury and suspension crisis that sees them short an incredible twelve players from their trimmed-down squad, and now it appears there’s more trouble brewing for the Blues.

It appears Watford FC have carried through their threat of charging the Toffees with trying to ‘tap up’ their manager at the time, and current Blues boss Marco Silva. The Hornets had claimed mid-season last year that Everton’s approaches for the manager after Ronald Koeman was sacked had ‘destabilized’ their team, before they spiraled out of control and ended up sacking Silva.

The Times are carrying the story on their back page tomorrow (Friday) in an article written by Chief Sports Writer Matt Dickinson that the Blues could face a large fine or even a points deduction if they are indeed found guilty by the independent inquiry looking into the matter.

Soon after the issue was first raised by the Hornets, the Blues offered them £1million in cash during the mediation, an offer that was outright refused. Then there was the inflated transfer fee that the Toffees paid for Richarlison, with the same aim in mind. Ironically enough, the proceedings against the Blues were reinstated the day after the Brazilian was announced as a Toffee.

Per the article, majority stakeholder Farhad Moshiri, other Board members and Silva might be asked to hand over their cellphones and diaries to a court-appointed legal counsel to verify when contact between the parties had been made.

The last time there was a tapping-up fiasco of this magnitude was in 2005 when Chelsea made an approach for Ashley Cole who was then an Arsenal player. That ended up in a £300,000 fine for the club and a suspended three-point deduction.

More to come on this one.