London, Nov 17 (IANS): Everton FC on Friday received an immediate 10-point deduction by an independent commission for breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSRs).

The punishment is the biggest sporting sanction in the competition's history and leaves Everton in the relegation zone with 19th place in the table. Before their points deduction, Everton were 14th in the league table, eight points above the bottom three.

Everton said the club is "shocked and disappointed" by the ruling of the Premier League’s Commission.

The Premier League issued a complaint against the club and referred the case to an Independent Commission earlier this year.

According to the Premier League, during the proceedings, the Club admitted it was in breach of the PSRs for the period ending season 2021/22 but the extent of the breach remained in dispute.

Following a five-day hearing last month, the Commission determined that Everton FC’s PSR Calculation for the relevant period resulted in a loss of £ 124.5 million, as contended by the Premier League, which exceeded the threshold of £ 105 million permitted under the PSRs.

The Commission concluded that a sporting sanction in the form of a 10-point deduction should be imposed. That sanction has an immediate effect.

"The Club believes that the Commission has imposed a wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting sanction. The Club has already communicated its intention to appeal the decision to the Premier League. The appeal process will now commence and the Club’s case will be heard by an Appeal Board appointed pursuant to the Premier League’s rules in due course," the club's statement read.

It further said: "The Club does not recognise the finding that it failed to act with the utmost good faith and it does not understand this to have been an allegation made by the Premier League during the course of proceedings. Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the Commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted.

"The Club will also monitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases concerning the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules."

Only two clubs have previously been docked points in Premier League history - Middlesbrough, who were deducted three for failing to fulfil a fixture against Blackburn in 1996/97 and Portsmouth, who were stripped of nine after entering administration in March 2010.