Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has described the decision by Sky Sports not to broadcast an interview with him regarding the historic points deduction meted out to Everton as “deeply troubling”.
The former Cabinet Minister and lifelong Evertonian has called for the 10-point penalty to be reversed and voiced those criticisms of the league in a recorded conversation with the broadcaster but Sky elected not to run the interview before Sunday’s televised match between the Blues and Manchester United.
Burnham has called for an explanation for the decision amid suspicion that Sky have deliberately sought to minimise the impact of criticism of the Premier League commission’s censure of Everton and the vociferous protests that have erupted from supporters in the aftermath.
He claims on X that other people have contacted him to say that their own interviews on the topic were not broadcast either.
Article continues below video content
Sky’s cameras ignored a plane, bearinga message of protest against the league paid for by an Everton supporters group, flying over the Etihad Stadium on Saturday before Manchester City’s game against Liverpool and refused to show the players entering the field of play at Goodison Park on Sunday as fans booed and held up placards branding the Premier League “corrupt”.
“I don’t know why it wasn’t broadcast and I’d very much like an explanation,” Burnham told Mail Sport in regard to his suppressed interview. “As a former Cabinet Minister, I don’t expect third parties to decide what I can and cannot say.
“There seems to be a wider picture here with views expressed by Evertonians at the game being silenced too,” he added. “I find all this very troubling. They’ve have denied us our points. It surely can’t be right to deny Evertonians our voice as well?”
According to Mail Sport sources, “Sky were … reminded of their ‘editorial responsibilities’ before Burnham’s interview” while the broadcaster blamed its omission on a “shift in editorial direction” following the death of Terry Venables.
They also insist that, despite rumours to the contarary before the match, the volume from the home crowd was not turned down for the broadcast of Sunday’s match.
Burnham spoke with reporters before the game where he echoed the arguments he had put forward in a letter to the Premier League last week, including that the penalty issued to Everton should be declared “null and void”.
“The question in this situation is, has there been a fair process?” he said. “After studying the case, I have concluded that there has not been a fair process, there has been a highly flawed process. I would go as far to say there has been an abuse of process.
“And that abuse of process concerns the guideline and framework that was put together in August and submitted to the independent commission. I have been a government minister and been very familiar with the world of regulations and regulatory practice.
“You cannot in an ongoing case create new policy in the middle of (it) and then introduce it towards the end of it. It is what people would call regulatory malpractice – it is simply not possible to do that. But that is what happened in this situation.
“I would say the process should be declared null and void because of the regulatory malpractice of introducing new rules in the middle of a process, when really no regulator ever should do that.”
Reader Comments (26)
Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()
Dean Williams
2 Posted
28/11/2023 at
20:17:30
No surprises there then.
Jack Convery
3 Posted
28/11/2023 at
20:23:03
‘The great unelected’, as I once heard them described, suits the Premier League and their ilk perfectly.
Kunal Desai
4 Posted
28/11/2023 at
20:30:43
Time to boycott Sky and cancel that subscription. They are every bit complicit in this.
Ben King
5 Posted
28/11/2023 at
20:32:49
And now, they decide that not only is it correct and fair to deduct Everton a record number of points, they also won’t show proper protest about it.
The Establishment and capitalist forces are creating a disgusting reality.
Peter Jones
6 Posted
28/11/2023 at
20:46:36
Exactly. Disgusting whats going on.
Craig Walker
7 Posted
28/11/2023 at
20:53:25
The thing is, I’m not one bit surprised. They are in cahoots with their favourite six, plus Newcastle. We don’t matter and I think they wanted us relegated to boost viewing figures in the Championship.
Dale Self
8 Posted
28/11/2023 at
20:55:59
Yes! I think they have made Andy upset and given themselves a PR headache. This is just the kind of petulant ass-covering that gives away the game. A week or two of this and our odds of reduction increase.
Rob Halligan
9 Posted
28/11/2023 at
21:03:24
I’m off to Antigua in a couple of days for the cricket between West Indies and England, and I’ve got twenty of those pink cards stashed away in my bag to take. They will hopefully all be getting held up during about eight hours of play… well, certainly one will anyway.
Keith Slinger
10 Posted
28/11/2023 at
21:04:22
As for Sky doing their dirty business, they will still make their money as no-one else will televise the rights of the Premier League unless it’s foreign, and without the EPL money, Everton could be in the mire once again.
Fuck off, Moshiri, leave our fantastic club, Please!
Paul Birmingham
11 Posted
28/11/2023 at
21:04:24
I stopped my Sky contract in September, before this kicked off, but it’s not good value anymore, imho, and I will never be going back.
This adds more fuel to the litany of malpractice undertaken by the Premier League and its cronies in their self-appointed commission.
UTFTs!
John Atkins
13 Posted
28/11/2023 at
21:12:58
The guy had no answer … do one Sky and you can stick your box where the sun doesn’t shine.
John Atkins
14 Posted
28/11/2023 at
21:17:25
Good luck with that Sky as its already smashed to pieces so itll be rattling back to you at Sky HQ wrapped in Pink PL corruption signs
Duncan McDine
15 Posted
28/11/2023 at
21:19:02
The only shame is I won’t be able to spot Rob and his pink card on the telly!!
David Vaughan
16 Posted
28/11/2023 at
21:20:27
To be honest, apart from Everton, I only watched the Championship and lower. I’ve despised the Premier League for many years now, long before they seem to have finally exposed themselves as a self-appointed filtering system.
In fact, if it wasn’t for the existential threat of relegation, I would love to live life with Everton outside the Premier League, at least in its current apparently corrupt state.
John Atkins
17 Posted
28/11/2023 at
21:20:27
George Stuart
18 Posted
28/11/2023 at
21:25:31
Follow the money.
Protect your brand.
David Vaughan
19 Posted
28/11/2023 at
21:26:56
Follow the brand.
Say goodbye to your money.
And your voice.
Derek Knox
20 Posted
28/11/2023 at
22:04:53
I just hope that with him being a well known figure, maybe just maybe someone will listen and act upon it. I won’t hold my breath though.
Kudos to those who have disassociated themselves from SKY, if enough follow suit, alarm bells may just start to ring !
Shane Corcoran
25 Posted
28/11/2023 at
22:16:58
Does anybody know the appeals process? When does it start, how long will it take etc?
Paul Kossoff
26 Posted
28/11/2023 at
22:32:46
Cancelled my Sky years ago. Why don’t we all print out pink cards with Sky and the Premier League are corrupt and post them off. Rob. I’ve still got my signed bat from the great Geoff Boycott, one of my heroes.
Paul Kossoff
29 Posted
28/11/2023 at
23:03:48
Shane 25. The ECHO understands that Everton, who believe the punishment to be unfair, unjust and disproportionate, are planning to formally lodge their appeal before the end of this week and that the appeal process will be completed before the end of the current 2022/23 season, although there is no more detailed guidance on a potential timescale at this stage.
The independent commission that handed out Evertons immediate 10-point deduction was chaired by David Phillips KC with the two other members being His Honour Alan Greenwood and Nick Igoe ACA. Evertons appeal will be heard before an entirely different set of individuals from the first independent commission but the ECHO also understands the Premier League still appoints the panellists on the commission.
Independent? Yea, right.
Soren Moyer
30 Posted
28/11/2023 at
23:30:28
Premier League reminds me of, Napoleon, the pig from George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
Everyone’s equal but some are more equal than others.
Ste Traverse
31 Posted
28/11/2023 at
23:39:47
I was at the match but believe Sky refused to employ any former Everton players as pundits. Probably feared they may speak out about the corrupt Premier League who they’re in bed with and now silencing Andy Burnham. What a disgrace but hardly a suprising one.
Two disgusting organisations.
Alec Gaston
32 Posted
29/11/2023 at
00:08:22
What are the odds on the appeal being drawn out just long enough for the panel to know how many points are needed to relegate us- does anyone know if the points are reinstated until the outcome of the appeal?
Jerome Shields
33 Posted
29/11/2023 at
00:13:30
Censorship of Evertonians on broadcasting the match and censorship of Evertonian Andy Burnham’s interview.
How to get rid of these ads and support TW
© ToffeeWeb
![](https://elitenews.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/34554763_0.webp)
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
Derek Wadeson
1 Posted
27/11/2023 at
20:57:13
It was nice to see Andy Burnham on the Sophie Ridge Politics programme on Sky TV last night talking Everton and the unfairness of the sanctions.