English Premier League side Nottingham Forest have been docked four points for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules.
An independent commission found Forest’s losses to 2022-23 breached the threshold of £61m by £34.5m.
The immediate loss of points means they drop below Luton Town into the Premier League’s relegation zone.
Forest are the second top-flight team to be penalised for breaches after Everton lost 10 points in November, which was reduced to six on appeal.
A club statement read: “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.”
We are “extremely disappointed” with the decision, which “raises issues of concern for all aspirant clubs”.
Forest are the second top-flight team to be penalised for PSR breaches after Everton lost 10 points in November, which was reduced to six on appeal.
Premier League clubs can lose £105m over three seasons – £35m per campaign – but Forest’s maximum loss was only permitted to be £61m because they spent two years of the assessment period in the Championship.
The Premier League initially suggested Forest should “before mitigation” be docked eight points, with a reduction to six, because of this breach being 77% larger than in Everton’s case.
The reasoning for the four-point deduction has been outlined in the commission’s written findings.
Forest were set to be hit with a six-point deduction – three points for the initial breach and a further three for the size of the breach – but their “early plea” and “cooperation” meant that was reduced to four points.
They are likely to appeal against the ruling.
Nottingham Forest Docked 4 Points For Overspending, Drops Into EPL Relegation Zone
