Everton Faces Second Points Penalty in New Financial Case

Everton, which tumbled down the Premier League standings after receiving a record 10-point deduction in November, faces the prospect of a second points penalty for new violations of the competition’s financial regulations.

Everton confirmed the new case in a statement on Monday, as did a second team, Nottingham Forest, that was charged with its own violations of the league’s so-called profit and sustainability regulations. The rules were drawn up to keep teams from overspending and risking their financial futures to maintain their places in the Premier League, one of the world’s richest domestic sporting competitions.

The Premier League said the cases would be heard by separate, closed-door commissions operating independent of the league. Those commissions, it said, would determine any penalties, which could include fines, points deductions or other restrictions.

For Everton, a founding member of the Premier League now teetering on the brink of financial collapse, the new charges could not come at a worse time. A deal to sell the club to the American private investment company 777 Partners remains in doubt months after the club’s current owner, the British-Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri, announced the sale last year.

Any penalty also significantly increases the risk that Everton and Forest could face a financially ruinous relegation from the Premier League at the end of the season, when each year the bottom three teams are demoted to the second-tier Championship. Forest currently sits in 15th place in the 20-team Premier League, two spots above Everton. A serious points penalty, if assessed, would immediately drop both into the bottom three places.