VERY SAD NEWS has been announced this morning as THREE Premier League clubs have now been deducted points
Points deductions are uncommon in the Premier League, but three teams have received such a severe punishment since the league’s inception in 1992.
Everton became the latest team to face this fate after they were deemed to have recorded excessive losses, becoming the division’s first team to violate the Financial Fair Play criteria.
Here’s a look at the history of Premier League point deductions.
Middlesbrough has three points. 1997 (January)
Middlesbrough became the first team in Premier League history to be docked three points when league authorities docked them three points in January 1997.
Boro had failed to show up for a game against relegation rivals Blackburn Rovers in December after manager Bryan Robson claimed he was unable to register a full team due to a total of 23 players being absent due to illness or injury.
Despite claiming to have had assurances from the Premier League that the match could be postponed, Boro were fined £50,000 and penalised three points for failing to present the needed proof. A subsequent judicial appeal against the verdict was unsuccessful.
Boro, who ended 19th in the table, would be relegated as a result of the verdict.
9 points for Portsmouth (March 2010)
It would be almost 13 years before another Premier League team was docked points, with Portsmouth the unfortunate recipients in March 2010.
Rumours surfaced as early as the 2008/09 season that Pompey were in deep trouble due to some irresponsible transfer transactions, and after no investment while a proposed takeover took over a year to materialise.
The takeover by Saudi Arabian investor Ali Al-Faraj was expected to address all of Portsmouth’s difficulties, however the club immediately failed to pay any wages between December 2009 and February 2010, while also being served with a winding-up order for unpaid taxes.
Portsmouth were fined nine points as soon as they entered administration, dropping them to the bottom of the table.
10 points for Everton (November 20, 2023)
After another 13 years, Everton joined the list of Premier League clubs to suffer a points deduction, with their 10-point deduction being the largest in league history.
Burnley and Leeds United both wrote to the Premier League in May 2022, requesting a probe into Everton’s finances after the Toffees lost £371.8 million in the preceding three years. The tension occurred as a result of Everton and Leeds narrowly avoiding relegation at the end of the 2021/22 season.
The investigation was launched in March 2023, and the 10-point penalty was imposed in November.
West Ham’s divisive fine (April 2007)
West Ham United controversially avoided a points deduction in April 2007 due to the previous summer’s signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
When it came to the two transfers, the Hammers were judged to have violated third-party ownership laws, and because the players were theoretically ineligible for the Premier League as a result, they were likely to suffer a points loss.
Instead, West Ham were fined £5.5 million, a punishment that they gladly accepted as they narrowly avoided relegation by three points. To add to the drama, Tevez assisted West Ham in defeating Manchester United on the penultimate day of the season, ensuring their survival.
Sheffield United, who were relegated in their place that year, sued West Ham to reclaim their place in the top flight, but after having such a plea dismissed, pursued financial compensation for relegation and were eventually successful, agreeing to a £20 million settlement with the Hammers to close the case in 2009.
