What Everton's appeal verdict means for Burnley's survival chances - with Luton Town, Nottingham Forest and others also impacted
Everton points deduction has been reduced from 10 to six upon appeal – stretching Burnley’s gap to safety to 11 points.
The Toffees were initially hit with the 10-point deduction in November for breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules.
The club lodged an appeal against the decision, which was heard earlier this month. An appeal board has now decided Everton’s punishment should be reduced from 10 points to six with immediate effect.
Burnley’s gap to safety stretched to eight points at the weekend following their 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
However, following today’s verdict, Everton move from 21 points to 25, seeing them leapfrog Nottingham Forest and Brentford into 15th place.
Forest, sitting on 24 points compared to Burnley’s 13, now occupy the final spot outside the relegation zone.
Luton Town, who currently sit 18th, are four points adrift of Forest with a game in hand still to play.
Of course, this is all immaterial for Burnley should they continue their wretched run of form, which has seen them fail to win any of their last eight league games.
Everton previously said they were "shocked and disappointed" by the ruling, which it described as "wholly disproportionate and unjust".
The rules say clubs can sustain losses of up to £105m in three years or potentially face penalties. But Everton reported losses of £124.5m for the relevant period.
The club also said the "harshness and severity" of the sanction imposed by the commission was "neither a fair nor reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted".
The Toffees are not yet out of the woods though, as they face a second charge following the release of their 2022/23 financial accounts in January. Nottingham Forest have also been found to breach the profitability and sustainability rules.
Now their appeal has been heard, the hearing for Everton’s second charge is set to commence with a verdict set to be reached before the end of the 2023/24 season.
In a statement, Everton said: “Notwithstanding the appeal board’s decision, and the positive outcome, the club remains fully committed to cooperating with the Premier League in respect of the ongoing proceedings brought for the accounting period ending in June 2023.”