In a shocking development, Everton have been docked a whopping ten points for breaching Premier League profit/sustainability rules.
The club released a statement following the decision:
'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.
Harshness and severity of the sanction
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.'
The decision to dock the Toffees ten points is the heaviest points punishment in Premier League history.
'Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the Commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted,' said the club.
Only two clubs have previously been docked points in Premier League history.
Middlesbrough were deducted three for failing to fulfill a fixture against Blackburn in 1996/97 and Portsmouth were stripped of nine after entering administration in March 2010.
The points taken will see Everton fall from 14th to second from bottom on just 4 points.
It remains to be seen whether Man City will suffer any consequences for their alleged financial breaches.
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