Everton’s 10-point deduction for breaking financial regulations has been reduced to six after an appeal.
The breach, the league’s largest, shifted Everton from 14th to 19th initially, but now they rise from 17th to 15th.
“Everton FC appealed the sanction imposed against it on nine grounds, each of which related to the sanction rather than the fact of the breach,” a statement from Premier League read.
Everton, owning up to the violation, expressed content with the reduction.
The appeal board criticized the initial commission for legal errors, particularly in penalizing Everton’s transparency about stadium debt and for not considering benchmarks, aligning the revised penalty with EFL guidelines.
Despite the relief, Everton faces another potential deduction for breaching rules until 2022-23, which was delayed pending the appeal’s resolution.
The club remains cooperative with the Premier League regarding the second charge.
Premier League regulations allow clubs to incur a maximum £105m loss over three years, or £35m annually. Everton reported losses of £125m over three years.
With no league victories since December 16th, Everton sits five points clear of relegation with 12 matches left. Their reduction in points lifts them above Nottingham Forest and Brentford.