Everton have been handed a 10-points deduction for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
The punishment from the Premier League has sent Everton to the relegation zone, they have moved to second bottom in the league table with just 4 points now.
This is the biggest point deduction punishment given in Premier League’s history. Everton have denied any wrongdoing and plan to appeal the decision.
The Premier League club could now be sued by Leeds United, Leicester City and Burnley. All these clubs have written to the Everton owners and warned them before that they could sue them. All these clubs faced relegation from the Premier League while Everton survived in their place.
An independent commission audited Everton’s financial records for the 2021-22 season and found the Premier League club have breached the rules. Under Premier League rules, clubs are allowed to lose a maximum of £105m over a period of three years. Clubs who break this rule can be fined or deducted points by the Premier League.
Everton believe they have been transparent in their dealings with the Premier League and this was not considered by the independent commission.
A statement from the Premier League read: “An independent Commission has imposed an immediate deduction of 10 points on Everton FC for a breach of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSRs).
“The Premier League issued a complaint against the club and referred the case to an independent commission earlier this year. During the proceedings, the club admitted it was in breach of the PSRs for the period ending Season 2021/22 but the extent of the breach remained in dispute.
“Following a five-day hearing last month, the commission determined that Everton FC’s PSR calculation for the relevant period resulted in a loss of £124.5million, as contended by the Premier League, which exceeded the threshold of £105million permitted under the PSRs. The commission concluded that a sporting sanction in the form of a 10-point deduction should be imposed. That sanction has immediate effect.”
Everton have released this statement:
“Everton Football Club is both shocked and disappointed by the ruling of the Premier League’s commission.
“The Club believes that the commission has imposed a wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting sanction. The club has already communicated its intention to appeal the decision to the Premier League.
“Everton maintains that it has been open and transparent in the information it has provided to the Premier League and that it has always respected the integrity of the process. The club does not recognise the finding that it failed to act with the utmost good faith and it does not understand this to have been an allegation made by the Premier League during the course of proceedings.
Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the Commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted.
“The club will also monitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases concerning the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules. Everton cannot comment on this matter any further until the appeal process has concluded.”