Seamus Coleman has been discussing Everton's points deductions and the Manchester City case
Former Everton captain Seamus Coleman speaks on the Overlap Fan Debate
Former Everton captain Seamus Coleman speaks on the Overlap Fan Debate
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Former captain Seamus Coleman says Everton’s players and fans were punished by decisions made higher up at the club while Manchester City’s case is “killing” the best league in the world.
In November 2023, the Blues were handed what at the time was the biggest sporting sanction in the 135-year history of English top-flight football when they were given a 10-point deduction for a single PSR breach. Although that figure was then reduced to six points on appeal, they then received an unprecedented second deduction in the same total of a further two points for an ultimate total of eight.
Coleman, who played 435 times for Everton, including making a club record 374 appearances in the Premier League, was asked on the Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet, how he felt when the points deductions hit.
The 38-year-old said: “It had nothing to do with us lads that are on the pitch, and you’re so proud to play for Everton Football Club. You know how much it means to all the fans, and maybe because of decisions that have been made higher up, maybe without a thought, I don’t know, before you know it, you’ve got a 10-point deduction.
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“We weren’t in a great place as a team back then, so a 10-point deduction for us at that time, people might forget, nearly guaranteed relegation for how we were playing. Thankfully, we’d started that season quite well, so the 10-point deduction, I think, took us from, I don’t know, 15th to second from bottom but I just felt that it happened so quickly.
“I feel like it happened so quickly, and then on appeal, it was taken down to six, so it tells you that it wasn’t right to begin with, the 10 points, for the appeal straight away to come back with four. So that came back with four, lifted us up again, and then I think it went to April time, and we got two taken off us again, which dropped us down another couple of places.
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“And that’s April, it’s a month before the end of the season. So, very frustrated with whoever the decision makers are to overspend, that they can do that to the players, they can do it to the fanbase.
“It is their life, it is everything to them, that decisions can be made - and I don’t know the ins and outs of it all - but how it can’t be watched a bit more carefully, that it doesn’t get to a case where it’s, well, here’s 12 points because the decision-makers have made some bad decisions, and players and fans and people who have supported Everton their whole life are getting punished for this. Thankfully we got ourselves out of it.”
Subsequently, Manchester City have now been found guilty of 114 charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial rules between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons, with an independent commission finding that, during that time period, the club arranged “sham contracts” as well as “relying on sham agreements to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs,” as part of a scheme to disguise secret funding of more than £830million.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 05: A general view outside the stadium during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Manchester City and Coventry City at Etihad Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
General view of the Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City, who have been found guilty of all charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18(Image: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
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Commenting on the impact of that case on Everton and the Premier League, Coleman said: “Well, I mean, looking back, it did affect Champions League positions.
“It’s very hard to say because that time’s gone by. It’d be hard to say, oh, I missed out on the Champions League.
“I think the biggest issue with it for me is, this is supposed to be the best league in the world, and whether City are guilty or not, it’s just killing the league, it’s killing the season, it’s killing every team, because you’re just waiting to see what’ll happen.
“And if they continue to win titles, the best league in the world having that massive question mark over it is strange. I know we’re talking about lawyers coming in and getting involved, but how Everton and Nottingham Forest could be dealt with so quickly, so efficiently – I know we said, yeah, hands up, we got it wrong – but surely, it shouldn’t get to this point for the best league in the world.
“Obviously, yeah, we were affected Champions League-wise and that, but I’m not going to be knocking on anyone’s door chasing lost bonuses or that.”