English football club Everton Football Club have been deducted 10 points by the Premier League (PL) with immediate effect following some breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) measures.
The club had been in a discussion with the PL over some breaches of profitability and sustainability rules since March 2023 and after a long battle of more than seven months, the national footballing body reached a conclusion.
Everton have now been dropped to the 19th position in the PL points table with just four points in 12 matches and if they don't pick up the form and start winning matches, Sean Dyche's men may be playing the Championship next season.
"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," the PL stated in a press release.
"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."
The club reacted to PL's statement saying that they are "shocked" and "disappointed" by their decision and have already decided to appeal the sanction imposed.
"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 stated.
"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."
It must be noted that only two clubs have been docked points in the PL history, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth, but not a single penalty as big as Everton's.