Premier league Deducts 10 Points from Everton over breach of Financial Fair play Rules

England, 

Friday, 17 November, 2023. 

McCreadie Andias 

Everton have been penalized by immediate 10-point deduction after being found to have breached the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.

The punishment is the biggest sporting sanction in the Premier League's history which leaves Sean Dyche's men 19th on the Premier league table with only four points just above Burnley on goal difference. 

The club said it was "both shocked and disappointed" by the "wholly disproportionate and unjust" ruling.

An Everton statement said: “The club believes that the commission has imposed a wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting sanction … 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 said in a press release issued after the Penalty. 

Everton’s case was referred to an independent commission after an audit of Premier League clubs’ financial records for the 2021-22 season. Last year Burnley and Leeds wrote to the Premier League to question whether Everton had broken the rules.

Under Premier League rules, clubs are allowed to lose a maximum of £105m over three years – and clubs who break its profitability and sustainability rules (PSRs) can be fined or deducted points.

Everton posted financial losses for the fifth successive year in March after reporting a £44.7m deficit in 2021-22.

Following a five-day hearing in October, the commission found in favour of the Premier League that Everton's losses during that period amounted to £124.5m. 

The Premier League said in a statement: “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 £124.5m, as contended by the Premier League, which exceeded the threshold of £105m permitted under the PSRs.”

Everton have said they intend to appeal against the decision.