EVERTON could be hit with a further points deduction THIS season – if they have committed another breach of financial rules.
Like the other 19 Premier League clubs, the Toffees must submit their 2022-23 season accounts to League chiefs by the end of the year.
And as the Goodison outfit formally appeals tomorrow against the unprecedented 10-point penalty imposed by an independent commission, it emerged there are internal fears that another breach could be detailed by the latest accounts.
Under Prem profitability and sustainability rules, clubs are limited to losses of £105m over a three season period.
Everton eventually admitted they had been in breach of the regulations in 2021-22, although they tried to argue against the commission findings that they had busted the limit by £19.5m.
The charges were laid in February and finally dealt with this month.
READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
But new Prem rules, unanimously adopted by all 20 clubs including Everton in the summer, set a swifter timetable for “simple” breaches which came into effect from the start of this season for new cases.
The new regulations say that a charge for “standard” breaches of the regulations must be laid within 14 days of the club financial accounts being provided.
A commission hearing must then be held within 84 days, with the verdict and – if applicable – sentence delivered within a further seven days.
That means any Everton breach would bring a charge by January 15 with a final decision by April 15.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES
Prem chief executive Richard Masters told last month’s hearing that League bosses believed the starting point for any breach should be a six-point deduction plus an extra point for each £5m over the allowed loss limit.
That argument was not accepted by the commission but did signal a potential punishment.
And if Everton were found to have committed a second successive breach, it is likely that the commission would come down even harder.
Meanwhile, it seems likely that Manchester City will not know the outcome of the 115 charges they face until the tail end of NEXT season.
City are vehemently contesting the allegations with lawyers for the club and the League engaged in a complicated legal battle over documentation, witnesses and other aspects of the case.
A potential hearing date of next autumn is understood to have been pencilled in for a case which is far less clear-cut than the Everton affair.
But the hearing could last two months or more given the sheer weight of evidence from both sides, with the final verdict unlikely before late spring of 2025 at the earliest.
Following the sanction and the loss to United, Dyche’s side now find themselves 19th in the table and five points from safety after 13 games.
They travel to Nottingham Forest this weekend in their next crunch clash.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
