Everton handed record points deduction

English Premier League club Everton was docked ten points Friday for breaching the league’s financial rules, sending them to 19th place and the relegation zone.

The Toffees were allowed to report £105m ($130.6m) in losses over three years based on their revenue. They were found to have lost £124.5m ($154.8m) in the three years ending at the close of the 2021-22 season, thus putting them in violation of the financial guidelines.

Everton admitted to breaching the rules, but said that it does not agree with the ten-point deduction, the largest in the history of the EPL.

neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted”

“The club does not recognise (sic) 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,” Everton said in a statement Friday. “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 also said that it will monitor unresolved situations involving financial breaches at Manchester City and Chelsea.  

Both teams are alleged to have committed offenses differing from what landed Everton the points deduction and could be handled differently.

Even though the punishment is the largest in the history of the EPL, it is not an isolated incident from a global standpoint. Here are a few of the largest point deductions in world soccer.

AC Milan, Lazio, and Fiorentina (2005-06) – 30 points

The Calciopoli scandal is one of the most infamous in the sport and involved a group of Italian soccer executives who purposely selected officials that would give their teams favorable results. Juventus, Lazio, AC Milan, and Reggina were all implicated via wiretaps, and many involved received prison sentences. 

However, in 2015, all sporting directors and referees (except for one) were acquitted because of the statute of limitations. 

Milan received an additional eight-point deduction the following year, while Juventus was stripped of its league title and relegated to Serie B. 

Luton Town (2008-09) – 30 points

Teams are accustomed to beginning their season campaigns with zero points, the typical starting point. Luton did itself no favors by starting the 08-09 season on -30 points for two main reasons.

storm in a teacup”

The Hatters were docked ten points by the Football Association (FA) for irregular player transfers described as a “storm in a teacup.” Then, they lost another 20 points for failing to pay outstanding debts for the second season in a row.

They earned 56 points over the course of their matches and would have finished 15th without the deduction, but instead, they finished last and were relegated to the National League. 

Derby County (2021-22) – 21 points

Derby County also fell victim to the clutches of entering administration and was docked 21 points. They later lost nine points for violating the English Football League’s profit and sustainability rules.

Derby avoided relegation by one point the season before and would have finished safely without the deduction, but instead, they finished second from bottom and were sent to League 1.

Manager Wayne Rooney left the club in the summer, but the team turned it around and finished seventh in League 1 in 2022-23.

Arminia Bielefeld (1971-72) – 19 points

A bribery scandal in the 10th season of the German Bundesliga ended with Arminia Bielefeld, now in the third tier of German soccer, receiving a 19-point deduction.

revealed at his 50th birthday party that Bielefeld paid money to influence referee decisions

Horst-Gregorio Canellas, director of Kickers Offenbach, revealed at his 50th birthday party that Bielefeld paid money to influence referee decisions and win games. Unlike other teams throughout history, they did this not to win titles, but to avoid relegation, as they were on the brink of being sent down less than two years after they achieved promotion.

Canellas’ claims were investigated by the DBF (the German Soccer Association) and eventually proven true. Bielefeld began the next season in Regionalliga West, a division below the Bundesliga, and did not get back to the top flight until the 1978-79 season.

Genoa (1959-60) – 18 (+7) points

Genoa achieved 18 points in the 1959-60 season, which put them dead last. To add insult to injury, they were docked all 18 points and relegated to Serie B, where they began the next season seven points in the hole.

Genoa was one of many teams that engaged in bribery and match-fixing, and it cost them their entire season of work. Wins were only worth two points at the time, which means that their 18-point deduction would be the same as a 27-point penalty today.

Unfortunately, the club didn’t learn its lesson. Genoa won the Serie B championship in 2004-05 and was set for promotion to Serie A for the first time in a decade until it was discovered that club director Stefano Capozucca paid the director of Venezia, who Genoa beat to clinch the title, €250,000 ($272,330) to intentionally lose the match. They were relegated to Serie C1 and lost three points.

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