Nottingham Forest have appealed against their four point deduction for breaching the Premier League's profits and sustainability rules (PSR).
The club admitted overspending over a three-year period by £34.5m but believes the punishment is excessive. An independent commission concluded that Forest deserved to be docked six points, but reduced it by two because the club had admitted the breach and had co-operated fully. As a result of the deduction, Forest fell to the relegation zone during the international break, one point below Luton.
Forest, which has Nick De Marco KC leading its legal team, upheld its appeal in a short statement. They previously said they were “extremely disappointed” with the verdict and believe they have grounds to appeal on a number of elements. Last week, the club said it was “surprised that the Premier League did not take into account the club's unique circumstances and their mitigation at all.”
Forest's main lines of defense were claims that they were at a disadvantage because they were the only promoted club who had not received parachute payments in recent years, and issues relating to the sale of Brennan Johnson. The striker was sold two months after the PSR's June 30 deadline as the club looked to get top dollar and ultimately secured a record fee of £47.5m for their academy graduate.
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Although a successful appeal could result in a lesser punishment, there is also a risk that the appeal panel could increase the number of points deducted.
