Premier League issue Nottingham Forest statement as points deduction appeal decision confirmed
The Premier League have confirmed Nottingham Forest have been unsuccessful in their points deduction appeal.
The Reds were docked four points in March for breaching Profitability and Sustainability Rules. They appealed against the decision and were back in front of an independent commission for a hearing last month.
However, the original sanction has been upheld. It means Forest remain three points above the relegation zone with two games to play.
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The Premier League said in a statement: “An independent Appeal Board has upheld the decision of a Commission to deduct four points from Nottingham Forest following an admitted breach of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
“The PSR sanction applied to the assessment period ending Season 2022/23 and was appealed by the club on two grounds. The club argued that the independent Commission committed an error in not treating its sale of a high-profile player (Brennan Johnson) shortly after the assessment period as a mitigating factor, and that it committed a further error in electing not to suspend some or all of the points deduction it imposed. Each of these grounds was rejected by the Appeal Board, which found the independent Commission was entitled to immediately impose the sanction it did. The four-point deduction will therefore remain in place.”
The appeal board for the Reds’ hearing was made up of Rt Hon Lord Dyson (chair), David Phillps KC and Daniel Alexander KC. Each member of the appeal board was appointed by the independent chair of the Premier League judicial panel.
Forest been hopeful of getting at least a point back and had expected to hear the outcome last week. Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has described the whole saga as a “mess” on several occasions.
Top-flight clubs are permitted maximum losses of £105 million across a rolling three-year period, with this figure reduced to £61m for promoted teams. The Reds were found to have breached their permitted losses by £34.5m.