Burnley claim they would have survived in the top flight if Everton’s points deduction had applied in 2021/22

Everton have been ordered to pay Burnley over £35 million (about $47 million) in compensation after a Premier League Independent Disciplinary Commission ruled against the Merseyside club for breaching profitability and sustainability rules during the 2021/22 season. The decision, which came to light on Wednesday, follows Burnley’s argument that they would have avoided relegation had Everton’s points deduction been enforced that season.

The Toffees were initially handed a 10-point deduction in late 2023 for financial breaches under their former owner, Farhad Moshiri. This punishment was later reduced to six points on appeal, but it was too late to affect the outcome of the 2021/22 campaign — a season in which Everton finished just four points ahead of Burnley, who dropped into the Championship.

Burnley successfully argued that if Everton’s six-point penalty for PSR (Profitability and Sustainability Rules) breaches had been applied during the 2021/22 campaign, they would have remained in the Premier League at Everton’s expense. The commission sided with Burnley, ordering a compensation payment that has sparked outrage among Toffees officials.

Everton’s management, now under the US-based Friedkin Group after a December 2024 takeover, described the decision as ‘surprising and angering.’ In an official statement, they declared: ‘Everton Football Club is surprised and angered by the decision of a Premier League Independent Disciplinary Commission to order a compensation payment to Burnley Football Club in relation to Everton’s PSR breach in June 2022.’ The club insists it will appeal, labelling the ruling as ‘fundamentally flawed in both law and fact’ and warning that it sets ‘a dangerous and unworkable precedent for English football.’

Burnley chairman Alan Pace welcomed the judgement, stating his club had simply sought fairness: ‘What we could not accept and what no club should be asked to accept was competing in a competition later shown to have been compromised.’

Neither the Premier League nor other affected clubs had issued further statements at press time. Everton’s next move will be closely watched as they pursue their appeal. Fans across Nigeria and beyond are now waiting to see whether this landmark case will change how financial breaches are punished in future seasons.

Source: https://punchng.com/epl-everton-ordered-to-pay-burnley-35m-over-relegation-dispute/