EVERTON’S TEN-POINT DEDUCTION REDUCED TO SIX POINTS AFTER APPEAL
Everton Football Club’s ten-point deduction for breach of league profitability and sustainability rules (PSRs) that was imposed on November 17th, 2023, has been reduced to six points, the Premier League confirmed on Monday.
“An Independent Appeal Board has concluded that the sanction for Everton FC’s breach of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules for the period ending season 2021/22, will be an immediate six-point deduction,” a statement released by the Premier League on Monday afternoon read.
“This follows the club’s appeal of an independent Commission’s decision in November 2023 to impose a ten-point deduction for the club’s breach of the PSRs. The appeal was heard over three days earlier this month, by an Appeal Board comprising Sir Gary Hickinbottom (Chair), Daniel Alexander KC and Katherine Apps KC.”
The Merseyside club was slapped with the hefty punishment after the club lost up to £124.5 million over a three-year period. According to the Premier League rulebook, clubs are allowed to lose £105 million over a rolling three-year period, any more would see them bear a point-deduction sanction.
Everton were deemed to be £19.5 million over the loss limit and while it remains up for debate whether the agreed upon rules needed updating relative to increased transfer fees and inflation, the league confirmed the decision by the Appeal Board was made in accordance to the rules voted and agreed upon by all 20 Premier League clubs.
“The club is particularly pleased with the Appeal Board’s decision to overturn the original Commission’s finding that the club failed to act in utmost good faith,” said Everton in a statement. “The decision, along with reducing the points deduction, was an incredibly important point of principle for the club on appeal. The club, therefore, feels vindicated in pursuing its appeal.”
The league confirmed that Everton appealed the sanction imposed against it on nine grounds with each being related to the sanction rather than the breach itself. Everton had admitted to the violation in November but ultimately felt as though the 10-point deduction was a bit extreme, hence the appeal.
The league’s statement said the Independent Appeal Board upheld two of those nine grounds brought forward by Everton, which ended up substituting the original ten-point deduction for a six-point deduction. The Independent Appeal Board is independent of the league with its members being appointees of the independent Chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel.
The revised sanction has immediate effect on Everton and its position in the Premier League table, reducing its point tally from 31 to 25, and sending the team down the table from 13th to 15th place. Everton could still trick down to 16th if Brentford get a win or a draw on Monday Night Football away against 10th-placed West Ham.
“The Premier League board is satisfied with this decision [to reduce the ten-point deduction to six points],” a statement released by the Premier League read. “And that the independent disciplinary process clearly set out in its rules and agreed by all clubs has been followed throughout.”
The Toffees still have 12 games left to play in the season and could still control their own destiny in terms of Premier League survival. They could however see another point deduction sanction imposed on the club as a result of a second charge by the Premier League.
Everton were slapped with another financial breach charge and could see more points docked off of their total season tally. If the first financial charge with six docked points is used as precedent by the independent appeal board, the club could lose six more points, which would not only send them down to 19 points but also send them in the thick of a relegation battle. Nineteen points would currently place Everton at 18th place.
The club appealed both charges and while the reduction regarding the first charge is relatively good news, Evertonians still have to patiently wait for a decision on the latter and ultimately their future in the Premier League. Everton have survived a relegation battle in each of their last three seasons in the league.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Goodison Park by Graham Hogg. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.