'Shambles organisation' - Ex-Everton defender slams Premier League after charges confirmed

Former Everton defender Michael Ball has hit out at the Premier League after their decision to dock 10 points after they allegedly broke financial regulations.

They have been reprimanded for breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules and the club was referred to an independent commission in March for alleged breaches relating to the 2021-22 season and a hearing took place last month.

Sean Dyche's side had enjoyed a positive run of six wins in nine games in all competitions as they sat in 14th on 14 points, but the deduction has seen them drop into 19th, sandwiched between Burnley in 20th and Sheffield United in 18th.

Ball took to social media to announce his disdain for the charges, as he wrote on X: "What a shambles organisation the Premier League is. Quickly moved to fine Everton after over seeing the clubs spends themselves! "While other teams threatened to leave the league all together, only received a fine £2.5m each. Remember don’t punish the fans media agenda!"

Everton responded to the points deduction with a club statement which read: “Everton Football Club is both shocked and disappointed by the ruling of the Premier League’s commission.

“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.

“Everton maintains that it has been open and transparent in the information it has provided to the Premier League and that it has always respected the integrity of the process. 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. Everton cannot comment on this matter any further until the appeal process has concluded.” Ball played 133 times for the Toffees, scoring nine times and registering one assist across his five years at the club. He then went onto spells at Rangers, Manchester City, Leicester City and a short stint at PSV Eindhoven.

His impressive spell at the club saw him called up to the England squad by Sven-Göran Eriksson in 2001, as he made his debut against Spain in a friendly.