Nottingham Forest has filed an appeal on Monday against the four-point deduction they received for violating Premier League financial regulations.
“Nottingham Forest confirms that it has lodged an appeal today against the four-point penalty imposed by the Commission due to the Club’s infringement of the Premier League’s Profit & Sustainability Rules,” stated the club on its website.
The club also mentioned, “At this time, Nottingham Forest will not be making any further statements.”
On March 18, the club was penalized four points for exceeding the Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) limit of £61 million ($77.5 million) by £34.5 million.
In response, Forest expressed their “extreme disappointment” with the decision and their “dismay at the tone” of the Premier League’s argument.
“Despite the high levels of cooperation shown by the club throughout this process, which is acknowledged in the commission’s decision, this was not mirrored by the Premier League,” Forest declared last week.
This deduction placed them in the relegation zone, trailing one point behind 17th place Luton and four points behind Everton.
Premier League clubs are typically permitted losses up to £105 million over a three-year evaluation period, but this is decreased by £22 million for each season spent in the Championship within that timeframe.
After a 23-year hiatus, Forest returned to the Premier League in May 2022, which means they spent two of the three years under assessment in the Championship.
Forest is the second Premier League team this season to face penalties for PSR violations, following Everton’s initial 10-point deduction in November, later reduced to six points upon appeal.
The commission that levied the penalty against Forest described the club’s violation as “serious.”
“The four-point sanction is not intended to punish Forest, but rather to ensure fairness among all clubs and to maintain public confidence that a club’s investment to compete in the Premier League does not exempt it from complying with the PSR loss threshold,” stated the commission.
Forest’s defense focused on the sale of Brennan Johnson to Tottenham on September 1, 2023, which occurred after the PSR deadline of June 30.
The English top-flight previously announced that the appeals process should “conclude no later than, and preferably before, May 24,” which is five days following the season’s final weekend.
With Everton’s second complaint still under review and Forest’s appeal now in process, the relegation outcome for this Premier League season might be determined in court shortly after the season’s final match.
