By CNN
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Everton FC has been handed an immediate 10-point deduction by an independent commission for breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSRs), the English Premier League announced on Friday.
The deduction means that Everton drops to 19th in the league table, level on points with last-placed Burnley.
Prior to the sanction, the club was 14th in the table having accumulated 14 points from its opening 12 games of the 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 Premier League said in its statement.
“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.”
Responding to the points deduction, Everton said that it is “both shocked and disappointed” by the decision, adding that the club will be launching an immediate appeal.
“The Club believes that the Commission has imposed a wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting sanction,” Everton said in a statement.
It added: “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 recognize 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,” added Everton in its statement.
Everton’s next Premier League match is at home to Manchester United on November 26 following the conclusion of the men’s international break.
The Merseyside club narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League last season after finishing 17th, two points above the relegation zone.
Commenting on the points deduction, UK lawmaker Caroline Dinenage said that the decision was “deeply disappointing for Everton fans, and for everyone who wants to see the English game thrive in a fair and sustainable way.”
She also called for an independent regulator to be put in place to oversee football governance in England.
