Goodison Park turns yellow as Everton fans protest against 10-point deduction

Everton fans turned Goodison Park into a sea of yellow in protest at their Premier League points deduction.

Yellow cards showing the Premier League logo and the words 'You don't know what you're doing' were held aloft by thousands of fans before and during their match with Tottenham Hotspur.

The latest Everton fan protest comes as the club awaits news on its appeal against the 10-point deduction the Premier League handed them for financial breaches in November.

Their appeal hearing ran from Wednesday until Friday and a final decision is expected to be announced by the middle of February.

As well as displaying the yellow cards before kick-off, they were also held up in the 10th minute to reflect their 10-point punishment for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules [PSR].

Everton said at the time of the deduction they were 'shocked and disappointed' by the Premier League's ruling, which plunged them into the relegation zone.

The commission responsible said 'Everton's PSR calculation for the relevant period resulted in a loss of £124.5million, as contended by the Premier League, which exceeded the threshold of £105m permitted under the PSRs.'

Everton were 14th in the Premier League table when then punishment kicked in - eight points above the relegation zone.

They went into Saturday lunchtime's match sitting 18th, a point behind Luton Town.

Worse could follow for the Toffees after the Premier League charged them for breaching rules a second time last month, along with Nottingham Forest.

Everton fans turned Goodison Park pink when they hosted Manchester United in the first game after the 10-point penalty.

The protest was organised by fan group, The 1878s, who encouraged fans to collect the yellow cards as they entered the ground.

The outcome of the appeal could also have a direct impact on the second PSR complaint the club are facing, which was laid on January 15. That complaint covers an assessment period that ends with the 2022-23 season.

Under a new expedited process to deal with PSR breaches which was agreed by top-flight clubs last summer, an independent commission hearing into the second PSR complaint must conclude no later than 12 weeks after the complaint was laid, which would be early April.

Everton described the initial 10-point penalty as 'wholly disproportionate'.

The independent commission's written reasons stated the club's overspend 'was the result of Everton irresponsibly taking a chance that things would turn out positively'.

The PSR breach was described as 'serious' and warranting 'a significant penalty'.