SUMMARY
- English club Nottingham Forest has been found guilty of breaching the Premier League's profitability and sustainability regulations.
- Nottingham Forest has been handed a four-point deduction that has dropped them into the relegation zone.
In yet another shocking series of events, the Premier League has punished Nottingham Forest for breaching the Premier League profitability and sustainability regulations (PSR). Nottingham Forest has become the second English team to be handed a point deduction after Everton. However, this has led to soccer fans once again questioning why Manchester City has continued to escape any kind of punishment.
Earlier this year, in January, the Premier League charged Nottingham Forest for breaching the PSR’s rules. While Forest did plead guilty to the charges, they hired Nick De Marco, a leading sports lawyer, to defend them. Forest presented the argument by taking into context the sale of their academy star, Brennan Johnson. Forest, in hopes of getting a better offer, sold Johnson to Tottenham Hotspur beyond the PSR deadline.
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Moreover, Nottingham Forest also argued that the PSR threshold for incurring losses for them was unfair. The Premier League allows clubs to lose £105 million ($133 million) over three seasons. However, for Forest, the threshold was set at just £61 million ($77 million) since they had spent the last two seasons in the Championship. After the hearing was conducted a few weeks ago, an independent commission decided to hand Forest a four-point deduction.
Nottingham Forest in breach of PL losses by £34.5m but only docked 4 points. Everton were in breach by £19.5m but were docked 6. The written reasons for Forest case provides some explanation for the difference – basically Everton seen to have provided “incorrect information”: pic.twitter.com/hcVcTMuHcg
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) March 18, 2024
Despite finding Nottingham Forest guilty, the commission lauded the club’s “exceptional cooperation” throughout the process. The commission’s punishment for Forest has led the club to slip into the relegation zone in the Premier League table. Nevertheless, Nottingham Forest would be allowed to appeal the decision within one week of the commission’s decision.
Fans question Manchester City after Nottingham Forest gets punished by the Premier League
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest’s latest punishment has led to fans questioning why Manchester City have continued to evade punishment. The defending Premier League champions have been charged with breaching as many as 115 rules between 2009 and 2018. City has been accused of not cooperating with the investigation, not abiding by PSR’s guidelines, and not giving a truthful account of their finances for nine seasons.
During that time, Manchester City has won three league titles, three league cups, and one FA Cup. After Nottingham Forest was handed a four-point deduction, the fans raised questions about when City was going to be punished. One fan commented, “City will be in league two if they’re found guilty,” while another wrote, “Man City should give their lawyers a raise.”
There were also comments like, “We’re just forgetting about City or what?” and “Oil money makes Man City untouchables.” Besides Manchester City, Chelsea is also being reportedly investigated. If Pep Guardiola‘s side is found to be guilty, they might also be handed a point deduction. However, owing to the seriousness of the allegations, City might also be relegated from the Premier League.
Everton gets their point deduction reduced from 10 to 6 points
Back in November 2023, Everton was found guilty of breaching PSG regulations and was handed a ten-point deduction. Everton was accused of breaching the rules from a period of 2021 to 2022. The punishment, one of the biggest in the history of the Premier League, dropped them from the 14th position in the league table to the 19th position.
Kaveh Solhekol explains how the decision to reduce Everton’s 10-point deduction to six was reached ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/VEXBtVvHty
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 26, 2024
Following the decision, Everton appealed the punishment, which led to an independent commission that imposed the punishment, admitting that they made legal errors on two grounds. Therefore, Everton’s ten-point deduction was reduced to six points. However, Everton’s nightmare isn’t over yet. The Toffees now have to wait anxiously as the Premier League is now investigating the club’s breaches in the 2023-24 season.