Everton handed new points deduction in Premier League survival blow

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The Premier League has punished Everton with an additional two-point deduction due to their violation of the profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

The most recent penalty that Everton received, they plan to dispute it. It is due to their violation of the financial regulations set by the Premier League for the three-year period until the season of 2022-2023.

According to the PSR regulations, clubs are permitted to incur a loss of £105m over a period of three years. Unfortunately, Everton has confessed to violating this rule by over £16.6m, as stated by the Premier League.

During a hearing that lasted three days, an independent commission was presented with Everton's argument that they were unfairly subjected to a "double punishment".

At an earlier point this season, the club from Merseyside were penalized with a deduction of 10 points. This was due to the fact that they had experienced financial losses throughout the span of three years prior to the 2021-22 season.

Afterwards, the original number of points was decreased to six as a result of an appeal. Nevertheless, the team still confronted additional punishments due to a subsequent PSR accusation in January.

Everton's position in the table has worsened as a result of the recent points deduction, causing them to slip down to 16th place. However, they are still maintaining a narrow lead of two points above the bottom three and thus avoiding relegation for now.

Following their 1-0 triumph against Burnley over the weekend, Everton ended their 13-match winless streak, providing relief to Sean Dyche's team who were struggling.

Nottingham Forest, who are also going through a difficult time, received a punishment of four points last month due to breaching their own PSR. Everton expressed their worry about the varying degrees of points deductions and how it is not being applied consistently.

The Goodison Park has issued a statement stating that although they previously believed that disciplinary action was not necessary, they are glad that the commission recognized and acknowledged the points raised by the club in their defense. This includes the principle of double-punishment, the extenuating circumstances that hampered the club in Ukraine's war, and the club's prompt willingness to accept responsibility and cooperate with the authorities in the matter.

Everton is determined to work together with the league on any issues regarding PSR, but they are troubled by the varying punishments given by different committees when it comes to point deductions.

The organization is grateful to the Fan Advisory Board and other groups of supporters for their contributions during this procedure, and to every Everton fan for constantly being patient and providing relentless support.

The team and their lawyers are getting ready to challenge the decision made by the commission.

The Premier League has declared that, in a statement, the independent commission held a hearing for three days last month to review the evidence and arguments submitted by the club regarding the potential mitigating factors for its admission of a £16.6m breach. This comprises the effect of two successive PSR (Premier League Sustainability and Responsibility) charges.

After completing the necessary procedures, the commission decided that the suitable punishment would be to deduct two points, which would come into effect without any delay.

The commission that acts independently confirmed that breaking the PSRs principle is a big deal and needs a penalty, especially in sports.