Everton Football Club has been hit with an immediate 10-point deduction by the English Premier League for violating the league’s profit and sustainability rules.
Gatekeepers News reports that this marks the largest points deduction in Premier League history and places Everton, managed by Sean Dyche, into the relegation zone.
Everton expressed shock and disappointment at the ruling, vowing to appeal the decision. The club stated that the severity of the sanction is disproportionate to the evidence presented during the five-day hearing.
According to the Premier League, Everton admitted the breach of the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) acknowledging a loss of £124.5m, surpassing the £105m threshold permitted.
The independent commission’s decision comes after Everton narrowly avoided relegation last season, initially standing 14th in the league table, eight points above the bottom three.
The Premier League referred Everton to the independent commission in March over a potential breach of profit and sustainability rules.
While the nature of the breach has not been disclosed, it is understood to be related to interest payments on the cost of constructing the new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock.
In response to the ruling, Everton released a statement expressing disagreement with the commission’s decision.
“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. The appeal process will now commence and the club’s case will be heard by an appeal board appointed pursuant to the Premier League’s rules in due course.
“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.”
This marks a significant development, as only three clubs in Premier League history have faced points deductions: Middlesbrough (3 points) in 1996/97 for failing to fulfil a fixture against Blackburn, Portsmouth (9 points) in 2010 for entering administration, and Tottenham (initially 12 points, reduced to 6, and eventually revoked) in 1994/95 for financial irregularities committed in previous seasons.
