There has been a lot of outside noise in relation to the Financial Fair Play investigation concerning Everton.
The fact details regarding possible punishments the club could receive has been leaked in itself is a great concern. It's puzzling. I am also really disappointed with the timing of such reports, which began to circulate around the time of Bill Kenwright's passing.
Another question I have is why Everton's case is being heard before Manchester City, who have got 115 charges hanging over them. You're left wondering why the Everton case has seemingly been fast-tracked while there is no urgency with City's.
One of the key details to emerge from the report in the national media was the potential of a 12-point deduction, but I can't really see it happening. It is one I would not be happy with at all, if it were to be approved. We've seen Portsmouth docked points in the past, but that was for going into administration. Manchester United were fined just under PS300,000 by UEFA in July for an FFP breach and, not so long ago, there were a handful of English clubs who tried to disrupt the pyramid with the European Super League. They were only fined PS3.5million each.
That the Premier League are now, allegedly, pushing for a points deduction of 12 points, I find it disgusting. Something we spoke about when the European Super League came about was who are you actually punishing with these sanctions? It's the fans who will be hit hardest.
As a player, you can do something about losing 12 points. It's down to you to have that siege mentality to try and turn things around on the pitch. If Everton were to be docked 12 points, in our current situation, it would be absolutely catastrophic. It is basically relegation.
Having said that, I am confident with what Everton have come out with publicly on the matter and I trust what they have said in their statements. My only concern is: this is Everton. It's happened before with us. The only one player to have been sanctioned for deceiving an official is Oumar Niasse in 2017. You're trying to tell me that no other player since that game has done the same?
I spoke last week about Everton being a bit of a soft touch when it comes to handling situations. I think the fans would like to see the club be more public and come out fighting in response to what has been reported of late. It's Everton, and you feel like the Premier League could try and make an example of us with this. Things have gone against us in the past and it could happen again.
The hearing is now believed to have reached a conclusion so a decision will likely be coming soon. Hopefully we are clear. The Everton players have to carry on as normal while this is going on. It might even make them more motivated to put as many points on the board as possible, should the worst happen. The pressure of playing football is hard enough, but that will only be ramped up as we await a final outcome.