Crystal Palace chief slams Premier League rules as Everton and Nottingham Forest face punishment

Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor has slammed the Premier League’s current rules around spending, claiming that ‘nobody thinks it makes sense’. Palace are one of a number of clubs who were forced to have a quiet January transfer window because of Profit and Sustainability Rules.

The threat of points deductions for breaching these rules have dominated how clubs act in the transfer market with Everton already having six points docked this season whilst they and Nottingham Forest also await updates on potential further points deductions.

Textor, who also owns Ligue 1 side Lyon as well as clubs in the USA, Belgium and Brazil, believes the current rules are there to stop sides challenging the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ and that it doesn’t make sense to stop owners, who can afford it, ploughing money into their club.

Speaking at the FT Business of Football summit, Textor said: “It doesn’t matter if you have a billion dollars of cash in a wheelbarrow, you’re not allowed to spend it. It’s clear that [the rules are] built to make sure that clubs which do not drive significant revenues cannot catch up.”

As mentioned, Nottingham Forest are facing a potential points deduction for breaching PSR rules - one that could see them slip into the relegation zone when enforced. Textor spoke about the situation facing Forest and defended owner Evangelos Marinakis, saying: “[Marinakis] has plenty of money to fund his team but he’s not allowed to. If he spends too much and does what the fans want, somebody comes along and docks him points? That’s not right.”

Newcastle United have also been impacted by PSR constraints, despite having the wealthiest owners in world football. The Magpies signed only Manchester City’s Alfie Harrison during the winter window and were even priced-out of a loan move for Kalvin Phillips by the restrictions and Textor believes they are simply there to protect the country’s elite: “Financial fair play is a fraud of a term,” he continued, “to say it’s about sustainability.

“Sustainability should be about the quality of your balance sheet, not ratios against your P&L [profit and loss]. There’s nobody that actually thinks that makes sense.

“We have got three billionaires in our ownership group, maybe more. We’re not allowed to spend at the level of teams that are in the top six.”