'Fans won’t allow Everton to go down without a fight'

Giulia Bould, BBC Radio Merseyside

Everton’s statement says the club is “both shocked and disappointed” at the 10-point deduction but the fanbase is ready for another fight for survival.

It seems staggering the Blues now sit joint-bottom of the table with Burnley after a Premier League commission hit them with the most severe punishment in the league’s history for breaching financial rules. For context, the crux of the case relates to interest payments on the new stadium which the club says it believed were permissible ‘add backs’ for profit and sustainability calculations in the 21-22 financial year. The Premier League disagreed.

Everton, who have worked closely with the Premier League since 2021 in order to remain compliant with regulations, are appealing the punishment, stating it is a disproportionate sanction for an accounting breach of this nature.

In 2010, Portsmouth were deducted nine points after the south-coast club went into administration, with more than 80 jobs lost in the process. In the 1996-97 season, Middlesbrough were deducted three points for failing to fulfil their fixture with Blackburn when a virus swept through the squad. Tottenham were handed a 12-point deduction before the 1994-95 season for financial irregularities, but that punishment was initially reduced to six points before eventually being revoked.

Everton’s case stems from building a new stadium on the Liverpool waterfront to improve its revenue and sustainability going forward. The biggest problem came with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year, and the government sanctions that followed. It meant a lucrative exclusivity deal on the stadium naming rights with Russian company USM for the ground at Bramley-Moore Dock was scrapped. Some £200m of anticipated revenue was lost, and the club was then left with a financial blackhole to fill.

It can be argued none of this gave Everton an advantage on the pitch – a point seemingly agreed with in the commission's report – and nor did it see mass job losses. The stadium that is now under construction, has 1,200 workers onsite with the majority of the jobs going to people from within the Liverpool city region.

The question that now has to be asked by all football fans is, if Everton lose 10 points for an accountancy breach when building a new ground, what will happen with other clubs under investigation? What scale of punishment will be handed out to clubs who may face far more significant charges?

I understand manager Sean Dyche was informed of the news this morning in a call with director of football, Kevin Thelwell. Dyche is said to be surprised and disappointed, but this doesn’t change the focus and that is simply to keep winning games.

Everton have been in two consecutive relegation battles and each time a fanbase has risen up and dragged their beloved club over the line. Fans contacting me today are furious, they feel their club is being used to fire a warning to others.

What this will serve to do is rally the supporters once again. They won’t allow Everton to go down without a fight and I expect the next game at Goodison Park on the 26 November against Manchester United will have the most ferocious atmosphere, with a message sent loudly by supporters that they won’t allow their side to be beaten on or off the pitch.