Jamie Carragher brands Everton's 10-point deduction 'excessive', claiming Toffees 'will feel they're being used until other clubs are sanctioned' for breaking financial rules

Jamie Carragher believes Everton's 10-point deduction is excessive and opens the Premier League up to allegations of bias unless commensurate penalties are handed out to other clubs. 

The Merseyside outfit were hit with the hefty punishment on Friday for breaching league profit and sustainability rules following their staggering financial losses of almost £372million over a three-year period.

Everton were referred to an independent commission in March for alleged breaches which related to the 2021-22 season, with a hearing taking place last month where the Premier League pushed for a sizable points deduction to set a precedent. 

Carragher has called the sanctions 'excessive' and drew comparisons to the league's reaction when six of its top clubs stated their intention to form a breakaway competition. 

'10-point deduction for Everton is excessive, considering they have been working with the Premier League about this for the last couple of years,' He told Sky Sports. 

'Would it have been better to be evasive and try and drag it out like other clubs?

'No doubt relegated clubs will have to put big pressure on the Premier League to deal with Everton, but when you consider fix clubs tried to leave the Premier League and there was no sanction at all it doesn't feel right. 

'Until other clubs are sanctioned Everton will feel they are being used to show there is no need for an independent regulator, and they are right.' 

The loss Everton posted is more than £250m above what the Premier League’s guidelines permits clubs to lose over a three-year rolling time frame. 

A Premier League statement on Friday 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 £124.5m, as contended by the Premier League, which exceeded the threshold of £105m 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 breached 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.

Meanwhile, Burnley, Leeds and Leicester have confirmed their intention to sue Everton for a total of £300million.

The aggrieved trio are understood to have agreed to follow through on their previous threats after Sean Dyche's side narrowly escaped relegation on the final day of the campaign by just two points.

The deduction sees the Toffees fall to 19th in the table, just ahead of Burnley, who are level on four points.