An independent commission has determined a four-point sanction against Nottingham Forest for financial irregularities in their accounts, which means Nuno Espirito Santo’s team will be relegated.
The English team was accused by the Premier League of breaking the league’s financial fair play rules and their case was sent in January to an independent commission, which is what determined this sanction.
Forest reportedly exceeded the three-year losses of £105 million (€122 million) allowed by the competition. Having spent two seasons in the Championship (English second division), his limit was even lower at around £60 million.
The club was “extremely disappointed” with the decision, in its first reaction to the news. After thanking the speed with which the case was handled, Forest declared itself “dismayed by the tone and content” of the allegations that the Premier League presented to the commission.
For the team, despite the cooperation they claim to have provided throughout the process, the result has been “unexpected” and has “damaged the confidence” they had in the competition.
Forest is the second Premier League team to receive a sanction for financial problems, after an independent commission sanctioned Everton with ten points in November for breaking fair play rules in the 2021-2022 season.
This sanction was reduced at the end of February to six points, after the ‘Toffees’ appealed. Everton, however, could receive a new sanction as they were accused of a second irregularity in a longer period of time.
If Forest decides to appeal, this case will have to be closed before April 15, that is, one month before the Premier ends.
The competition’s intention is that any appeal regarding sanctions due to financial problems will be satisfied before May 24, that is, before the annual meeting of the Premier in which relegated clubs have to hand in their competition license.
The sanction, which is immediate, means that Nottingham Forest goes from having 25 to 21 points and falls to the relegation zone, one point behind Luton Town. Since arriving in the Premier League in 2022, Forest has spent around €300 million signing 42 players.
Forest based their defense on the sale of Brennan Johnson to Tottenham Hotspur, for 45 million pounds, and argued that they had to wait until September 1, 2023 to get a higher price for the forward.
If it had been sold earlier and could have been included in the accounts for last year, the sale price would have been lower.
“We were surprised that the Premier League did not consider at all the unique circumstances of the club and its mitigation,” Forest stressed in its statement, where it warned that for the newly promoted to compete in that category it would be “extremely difficult, if not impossible.” if those criteria are maintained.
In addition to Everton and Forest, Manchester City is also under suspicion, which was accused in February last year of 115 financial irregularities. This case, being more complex and larger than that of Forest and Everton, does not yet have a resolution date.
Other clubs, such as Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa, recently published their financial reports for last season and avoided sanctions worth a few million.
