The 10 biggest points deductions in football history | OneFootball

Highlights

Everton and Sean Dyche’s hopes of retaining their status as a Premier League outfit have taken a beating after being deducted 10 points for breaching Financial Fair Play rules. Despite Sean Dyche’s side seeing an upturn in performances and results in recent weeks, they now face the trouble of evading the drop.

While it remained up in the air before being officially announced, the Premier League has now released a statement, confirming Everton’s 10-point hit. Their case is now the biggest sanction in the division’s extensive history – one in which former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is displeased about, claiming that it is ‘unjust’. Initially, murmurs began to arise in March 2023 as the Premier League revealed they had referred the club to an independent commission over an ‘alleged breach of financial fair play rules’, but now the 10-point sanction is set-in-stone, much to the dismay of Evertonians.

The points deduction sees them plunge into the drop zone with a mere four points on the board. Incredibly, however, they are still above Vincent Kompany-led Burnley, who have struggled to adjust to life in England’s top division. It is, however, only the Clarets’ below-par goal difference that sees Everton not reduced to rock-bottom in the Premier League. But the Toffees are far from alone. There have been a whole host of points-related punishments in England and beyond, and we’ve listed the 10 biggest deductions in football history below. Strap in, you’re in for a hell of a ride.

10 15 points – Leeds United (2007/08)

Starting the campaign with -15 points is every manager’s worst nightmare and Leeds United were forced to do just that after they failed to comply with rules on insolvency (exiting administration incorrectly) over the summer of 2007. Despite appeals from both the club and its fans, a vote of 64 to 5 in favour of the punishment meant that Leeds began their League One campaign 15 points shy of zero. Even worse, it was just six years earlier that Leeds were in a Champions League semi-final clash with Valencia. Removal from the entire Football League set-up was a possibility as they failed to agree on a debt agreement across the summer months, though Football League clubs decided that a 15-point deduction would suffice. Amazingly, the Yorkshire-based outfit still finished in the play-off places and managed to – superbly – overcome their initial points deficit.

9 17 points – Bournemouth (2008/09)

Eddie Howe received plentiful praise for his heroics on the south coast with Bournemouth, but many forget the -17-point hurdle he had to overcome in the process of taking them from League Two to the Premier League. The now Premier League regulars were in a state of disarray as manager Jimmy Quinn upped and left on New Year’s Eve, but Howe came in to steady the ship. After failing to emerge from administration, the English coach began the 2008/09 League Two season with a huge task on his hands after being hit with a 10-point deduction the season before. With 17 wins under their belt, however, Howe’s side avoided relegation as he guided them to safety, finishing a total of nine points ahead of Chester, who finished in 23rd. We tip our hat to you, Eddie!

8 17 points – Rotherham (2008/09)

Similarly to Bournemouth, Rotherham were hit with a plethora of troubles at the start of the 2008/09 season thanks to their failure to adhere to the EFL’s rules relating to administration, though they didn’t prove too detrimental. And just like the Cherries, the Millers evaded the group to National League football, despite many believing it was the end of the road for them. And while they don’t receive the same plaudits as Howe’s Bournemouth still do – to this day – their achievement of avoiding relegation should not be overlooked. After amassing 58 points, their EFL credibility was retained as they finished 14th.

7 18 points – Genoa (1959/60)

We’re taking you back in time, here. Match-fixing was – unnervingly – a recurrence in Italian football between the 1960s and 70s, though Genoa were trying to cheat the game way before that. An eye-catching 18 points were snatched from their grasp for bribery charges in 1960, all the while another ten, which were later reduced by three to seven, were planted on them in the following campaign – 1960/61. Considering that a win used to only amass two points on the league table, Genoa’s struggles were much bigger than those of the modern era as their 18-point penalty was worth nine wins, rather than the five that it costs nowadays.

6 19 points – Arminia Bielefeld (1971/72)

One of the more low-profile inclusions on the list, Arminia Bielefield are the only representatives from Germany, having taken a 19-point hit in 1971/72. With the Bundesliga still in its infancy, it didn’t take long for it to be hit with a bribery scandal in 1971, one in which Arminia Bielefield were a centrepiece of. A litany of players – in excess of 50 – were punished for their involvement in the wrongdoing, and it was all revealed at Kickers Offenbach President Horst-Gregorio Canellas’ 50-year-old birthday party with an audio tape of many German players admitting to their ill-fated part to play. Even without the points deduction, the German side’s tally of a mere 19 points didn’t paint the prettiest picture, as they would’ve finished rock-bottom anyhow.

5 21 points – Derby County (2021/22)

Prior to Everton’s debacle, Derby’s 2021/22 points deduction was the most recent high-profile case in England. Hit with a 21-point deduction back in the autumn of 2021, the Rams knew that surviving relegation to League One in 2021/22 would be a tall order. The reason behind their penalty? 12 points were taken off their hands for going into administration, while another nine were deducted for breaching EFL accounting rules. As such, Derby flirted with relegation from matchweek one until the end and were demoted to England’s third tier, but that didn't stop gaffer Wayne Rooney from showering his players with praise for their efforts. Without the docked points, they would have finished just above the relegation zone (in 17th).

4 30 points – Lazio (2005/06)

The Calciopoli scandal – one of the most infamous of the lot since the turn of the millennium and Lazio had a massive part to play. A complex situation: several high-profile Italian clubs were found guilty of enticing officials to give them favourable decisions prior to games. For their involvement, Lazio were stripped of 30 points in total and dropped from sixth place to 16th, though did - luckily for them - still avoid relegation by three points and finished with a promising goal difference. Based in Rome, the Serie A outfit had their UEFA Cup qualification withdrawn, with now Serie D side Livorno playing in their place. In a sad state of affairs, Lazio – along with the other culprits – endured a line of miscommunication, distress and disappointment with their respective fanbases in years to come.

3 30 points – Fiorentina (2005/06)

For their part to play in the Calciopoli scandal - that rocked Italian football to its core – Fiorentina were also handed a whopping points deduction, while they also had European repercussions like Lazio. Their end-of-season points haul was reduced by 30, leaving them in mid-table mediocrity after securing an impressive fourth-place finish. Champions League football was snatched from them, too. La Viola had fallen into a series of controversial refereeing decisions across the 2004/05 campaign as their owner, Della Valle, was one of those caught red-handed illegally working with referee boss Paolo Bergamo. While the club believed the punishment was “profoundly unjust”, it didn’t stop them being slapped with such a deduction that had a detrimental effect on their season.

2 30 points – AC Milan (2005/06)

While Inter Milan breezed clear of any charges, their city rivals AC Milan were not as lucky as they endured their share of scrutiny. Most notably, their tangible 30-point sanction stopped them from being crowned Serie A champions ahead of the Nerazzurri following Juventus’ relegation to Serie B. Accused of fixing just the solitary fixture during the season before, the Rossoneri were made to regret their decision as their arch-rivals were crowned champions of Italy. To add to their punishment, they were handed another eight point deduction in the following campaign. It’s safe to say they won’t be making the same mistake again.

1 30 points – Luton Town (2008/09)

Premier League newcomers Luton Town may be back at the top of the English football pyramid - although they are heavy favourites to go down - but they were once in disarray. Just like Bournemouth and Rotherham, the Hatters began the 2008/09 season at a heavy disadvantage after they had a mouth-watering 30 points taken off them. While their recent story can be considered an act of pure brilliance – or potentially a footballing miracle – it was almost not the case in 2008/09. The 30-point deduction was on the back of two separate offences: 10 for illegal payments to agents and an additional 20 for not leaving administration in the correct fashion. While some clubs, notably Leeds, managed to still perform amicably by the end of the season, Luton didn’t. Succumbing to relegation, the club finished at the summit of League Two – but would’ve amassed 56 points if it wasn’t for the initial deduction.