Everton’s head of academy recruitment Martin Waldron remains suspended while an internal review of the club’s academy operations continues, Press Association Sport understands.
The Premier League announced on Thursday it had sanctioned Everton for breaching academy player recruitment rules.
The Toffees have been fined £500,000 and banned for two years from registering any academy player who has been registered with another Premier League or EFL club in the preceding 18 months.
Press Association Sport understands Waldron, who has worked for Everton for over 20 years and been head of academy recruitment since 2014, was suspended by the club in September and remains so with the internal review ongoing.
The Premier League said in its statement on Thursday it had received evidence alleging that Everton academy staff offered inducements to a player and his family to encourage him to register with them, and that the club had admitted the allegations when presented with the information.
It said Everton set up its own internal inquiry which established that similar misconduct had occurred in relation to six other academy players.
The statement added: “In certain cases, it was found that the club provided false information to the League when questions had previously been raised about the circumstances in which academy players registered with the club.”
As well as being fined and handed the ban, Everton will also make additional compensation payments to the former clubs of two academy players.
Everton said in a statement of their own that they accepted the sanctions, had apologised to the Premier League, and had begun “a full review” of their academy operations.
The statement said: “Everton has worked alongside the Premier League over recent weeks to conduct a full and thorough investigation into allegations relating to our academy’s operational methods in some areas of player recruitment.
“In short, we are extremely disappointed with some of the practices we have found which are not in line with our values and not acceptable to Everton Football Club. Accordingly, we have accepted the penalties imposed on us by the Premier League and have given them our strongest apologies.
“We have already commenced a full review of our academy operations and are committed to ensuring that issues like this do not happen again at Everton.”
