Ex-FA chairman delivers Everton points deduction verdict amid Premier League 'vested interests' claim

Former FA chairman David Bernstein reckons Everton are 'fortunate' that a points deduction was not handed to them last season.

The Toffees are to appeal the 10-point docking they were given by the Premier League for a breach of profit and sustainability rules. The club have been left 'shocked' by the decision while supporters are to vehemently protest against the punishment ahead of Sunday's clash against Manchester United at Goodison Park.

The deduction sees Everton plummet to joint bottom of the table. Having previously sat 14th, there was widespread optimism a relegation battle would be avoided after only surviving on the final day of the 2022-23 season.

Bernstein, who served as FA chairman between 2011-2013, told talkSPORT: "I wasn't [surprised]. Everton have been found guilty of evading the rules - I use the word evading carefully. I think, in a way, they are fortunate.

"Ten points sound quite a lot but they are being borne this season, obviously, they can't be retrospective for obvious reasons, but were they retrospective then they would have been relegated. That would have been a really serious penalty. As it is, they are very likely to survive given the nature of the other clubs at the bottom of the table.

"The penalty, you could argue how many angels are on the head of a pin, you don't want to argue forever about clubs who have been insolvent, Portsmouth and so forth but all in all, I think it's reasonable and may get away lightly if they survive, which I think we will."

Ian Byrne, the MP for Liverpool West Derby, has taken the points deduction to Parliament and called for an independent football regulator to be brought in immediately. It has been argued that the Premier League have hit with Everton with such a hefty punishment to show that it can govern itself.

Bernstein believes that an independent regulator is also required as soon as possible. He added: "I've been arguing for years that it does. I've been in a group with Gary Neville and Mervyn King and so on that has produced a manifesto for change, which has been underpinning the basis for the fan-led review and things that have happened subsequently.

"Unfortunately, the game is generally governed by vested interests. We know the power of the Premier League, we know the power of the big clubs particularly and I've advocated independence for a long while. Events show the need for an independent regulator."