Nottingham Forest’s Appeal for Four-Point Deduction to be Overturned Rejected: What Happened and How the Club Lost Its Fight?

Nottingham Forest’s hopes of having their four-point deduction overturned due to breaching Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSRs) have been dashed. Despite a plea for points to be reinstated, the club will remain on 29 points, just three points above the relegation zone with two games left to play.

The independent Appeal Board has upheld the decision of a Commission to deduct four points from Nottingham Forest due to a violation of the Premier League’s PSR. The sanction was applied during the assessment period ending Season 2022/23 and the club appealed on two grounds. However, both were rejected by the Appeal Board, leaving the four-point deduction standing.

Nottingham Forest had argued that the Commission erred in not taking into account the sale of a high-profile player after the assessment period as a mitigating factor. They also claimed that the Commission should have suspended some or all of the points deduction it imposed. The Appeal Board determined that the Commission had acted within its rights in imposing immediate sanctions.

It is worth noting that Appeal Boards are independent of both the Premier League and member clubs. In this case, the Appeal Board consisted of Rt Hon Lord Dyson, David Phillips KC, and Daniel Alexander KC, each appointed by an independent Chair of Premier League Judicial Panel. To read more about this decision, click here.