Forest ‘dismayed’ with Premier League following points deduction

Nottingham Forest said they were disappointed with the co-operation shown by the Premier League into the investigation by an independent commission over  breaking the League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

The Reds have fallen into the relegation zone after being deducted four points, and are a point behind Luton, who they drew with on Saturday.

Forest were referred to an independent commission after they reported losses that were over the limit permitted across a three-year reporting cycle for last season.

In a statement, the club said: “We were extremely dismayed by the tone and content of the Premier League’s submissions before the Commission.  

“After months of engagement with the Premier League, and exceptional cooperation throughout, this was unexpected and has harmed the trust and confidence we had in the Premier League. 

“That the Premier League sought a sanction of eight points as a starting point was utterly disproportionate when compared to the nine points that their own rules prescribe for insolvency.

“We were also surprised that the Premier League gave no consideration at all to the unique circumstances of the Club and its mitigation.  In circumstances where this approach is followed by future PSR commissions, it would make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for newly promoted clubs without parachute payments to compete, thus undermining the integrity and competitiveness of the Premier League.

Forest have until April 15 to appeal the points deduction to the Premier League, with a backstop date of May 24 – which is after the 2023-24 season ends.

The statement added: “Whilst the Premier League may have called into question the club’s business plan, the club maintains that it responsibly balanced compliance with PSR with important investment into the squad to give us the ability to compete in the league for the first time in over 20 years.

“Even after the club had missed the PSR reporting deadline, it still took steps to ensure Brennan Johnson was sold before the end of the transfer window. That was a clear demonstration of our respect and support for PSR.”

Forest say the commission’s decision “raises issues of concern for all aspirant clubs” and, adding that the player transfer market is a “highly specialised trading environment” that “cannot be compared” to the sale of normal products and services.

The statement ended: “The rationale of the Commission is that clubs should only invest after they have realised a profit on their player development. This reasoning destroys mobility in the football pyramid and the effect of the decision will be to drastically reduce the room for manoeuvre for all such clubs, leading to the stagnation of our national game.

“We believe that the high levels of cooperation the club has shown during this process, and which are confirmed and recorded in the Commission’s decision, were not reciprocated by the Premier League.”