Manchester City could well be deduced points in the Premier League.
Last week, the six-time winners of the competition were found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules, including breaches of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) – the same exact rule break of the last two sides to face points deductions.
But despite it being 35 years next year since the Premier League was established, there isn’t a long history of points deductions.
Every Premier League points deduction
1996/97: Middlesbrough: 3 points
The first time that the Premier League dished out a points deduction came in 1996/97, when Middlesbrough were deducted three points for an unauthorised fixture cancellation against Blackburn Rovers, following a flu outbreak in the Villa camp.
Despite making the finals of both cup competitions that campaign, the Teessiders struggled in the league and were relegated with 39 points – meaning that those three points would have kept them up at Coventry City’s expense.
2009/10: Portsmouth: 9 points
In 2008/09, Portsmouth became the first Premier League club to enter financial administration and were slapped with a nine-point deduction – and it remains the biggest that the competition has ever dished out.
Intriguingly like Boro, Pompey reached the final of the FA Cup that season, but finished rooted to the bottom of the league table after remaining there from the second matchday onwards.
2023/24: Everton: 8 points
After finishing 18th in the Premier League in 2023, Everton hit the magical 40-point mark a season later under Sean Dyche – but would have finished sandwiched between Brighton and Bournemouth, had they not had a brush with the law.
The Toffees were deemed to have breached PSR in November 2023, and initially docked a record 10 points – but the club successfully appealed against the decision and saw their deduction reduced to six points.
In April of that season, however, Everton were found guilty of another rule breach, resulting in a further two-point deduction, and earned the dubious honour of being the first club in English top-flight history to have ever received two separate points deductions in a single season.
2023/24: Nottingham Forest
After promotion to the Premier League in 2022, Nottingham Forest enjoyed what can only be described as a thorough squad overhaul, spending well over £200 million on over 40 players in around 18 months, as Pierre van Hooijdonk’s two-decade-old record as the Tricky Trees’ most expensive buy was smashed twice before Morgan Gibbs-White joined in August of 2022.
It appeared to catch up with Forest, however, with the Premier League acting in January 2024 with a a four-point deduction after they were found guilty of breaching PSR.
Forest appealed to no avail – but given that the Garibaldi went onto scrape survival before qualifying for Europe, there are very few at the City Ground who regret that mad spending spree.
