BREAKING NEWS: Everton are stunned by a TEN-POINT deduction for breaking Premier League financial rules, which plunges them down to second-bottom of the table, as Blues plot an immediate appeal

Everton have been deducted 10 points for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules, which plunges the Toffees into 19th in the table.

The club was referred to an independent commission in March for alleged breaches which related to the 2021-22 season and a hearing took place last month.

The Premier League pushed for a sizable points deduction to set a precedent after the club were charged with breaching financial rules back in 2021-22. The Toffees posted staggering financial losses of almost £372million over a three-year period.

That is more than £250m above what the Premier League’s guidelines permits clubs to lose over a three-year rolling time frame. The technical alleged breaches related to accounting treatments, with the League arguing Everton breached profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

A Premier League statement this afternoon read: ‘An independent Commission has imposed an immediate deduction of 10 points on Everton FC for a breach of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSRs).

‘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.

‘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.’

Everton will appeal the verdict in the strongest possible way. They strongly deny they did not breach PSR and their financial losses were due to the building of a new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock and whether the interest payments on that development were permissible.

The Toffees believe a sporting sanction is wholly disproportionate and completely inappropriate. Everton will point to previous cases such as when six Premier League clubs were given a meagre fine for trying to break the football pyramid with the European Super League.

Portsmouth were the last Premier League team to be docked points when they entered administration in 2010 and were given a 10-point penalty, ultimately relegating them. 

Everton will point out that entering administration is a more serious breach than their alleged doings.

Financial rules were loosened by the Premier League during Covid with all clubs suffering from the pandemic in terms of lost gate receipts and commercial opportunities. But Covid hit Everton harder than most, while they also point to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a mitigating factor.

That had a direct impact on finances due to suspended commercial agreements but also a pre-agreement for a significant naming rights’ deal on Bramley Moore Dock with Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s USM which never came to fruition due to sanctions.

Everton also insist they have been open and transparent during the process. They were in an imposed agreement with the League since 2021 to work within strict financial guidelines - essentially a salary cap meaning they had to sell to buy with players.

That has been evident in the last four transfer windows with Everton’s net spend during that period being -£28million, better than nearly all Premier League clubs in the time. The Toffees insist this is evidence of the club’s efforts to comply.

Mail Sport understands Burnley and especially Leeds - who were all been narrowly relegated in the last two seasons, with Everton escaping the drop - had pressured the Premier League to issue a strong punishment.

An Everton statement read: ‘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.’