Everton deducted 10 points after breaching Premier League financial rules

Everton have been docked 10 points after breaching Premier League financial rules, the English top flight announced on Friday.

The league referred Everton to an independent commission in March for an alleged breach of its profitability and sustainability rules.

Clubs are allowed to lose a maximum of £105 million ($130 million) over a three-year period or face sanctions.

The punishment, the biggest sporting sanction in the competition's history, leaves Everton 19th in the table.

The Premier League said in a statement: "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 £124.5 million, as contended by the Premier League, which exceeded the threshold of £105 million 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."

The club issued a statement expressing its shock at the decision and confirmed their intention to appeal against the sanction.

"Everton Football Club is both shocked and disappointed by the ruling of the Premier League’s Commission," Everton said in a statement on Friday.

"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."

Transparency

The club maintained 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 said.

"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."