Forest docked four points for PSR breaches

• Forest handed four point deduction
• Forest drop into bottom three
• Three promoted clubs still favourites to go down

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Forest drop into relegation zone after four point penalty

Nottingham Forest have been deducted four points after they were penalised for breaching the league’s profit and sustainability rules. An independent commission discovered that Forest’s financial losses for the 2022-23 season exceeded the threshold by £34.5 million, reaching a total breach of £61 million.

This immediate deduction in points plunges Forest below Luton Town, sending them into the Premier League’s relegation zone. In response, the club expressed deep disappointment with the decision, raising concerns about the implications for aspiring clubs across the league.

Forest released a statement asserting their surprise at the ruling, particularly considering what they described as months of cooperative engagement with the Premier League. They highlighted the unexpected nature of the decision and its impact on the trust and confidence they previously held in the league.

This penalty marks the second instance in the current season where a Premier League club faces consequences for breaching profit and sustainability regulations. Earlier, Everton incurred a ten-point deduction, which was later reduced to six upon appeal.

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, intends to challenge the ruling through an appeal process. The club had undergone a hearing on 7-8 March to present their case.

Premier League regulations allow clubs to incur losses of up to £105 million over three seasons, with a limit of £35 million per campaign. However, Forest’s situation was complicated by spending two years of the assessment period in the Championship, which reduced their permitted loss to £61 million.

Initially, the Premier League proposed an eight-point deduction for Forest, which was later reduced to four points due to the club’s cooperation and early plea during the process. Despite demonstrating what the commission described as “exceptional cooperation,” Forest expressed disappointment with what they perceived as a lack of reciprocity from the Premier League.

The commission’s written findings outline the rationale behind the four-point deduction. Forest’s appeal process is expected to conclude by 24 May, just days after the conclusion of the current season, as per league rules.

Who will be relegated from the Premier League?

Forest’s points deduction means that they are now in the relegation zone. This is the current table.

Premier League Relegation Odds

Despite dropping into the relegation zone the bookies are still backing Forest to beat the drop. Most pundits and bookmakers believe that Sheffield United and Burnley are virtually down and are backing Luton Town to join them. That would mean all three promoted teams would be making an immediate return to the Championship. 

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