Nottingham Forest dropped four points for breach of Premier League financial rules | Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest said they were “extremely disappointed” by a four-point deduction that plunged them into the Premier League relegation zone, despite receiving a lesser punishment than Everton for breaching profitability and sustainability (PSR) rules because They admitted their guilt from the beginning and cooperated fully with the independent commission.

Everton were deducted 10 points. reduced to six on appeal, for overspending of £19.5m, while Forest breached allowable losses of £61m by £34.5m. The commission deemed Forest deserved the same punishment but said a potential loss of six points was reduced to four due to the club's “early declaration and joint cooperation”. The Premier League had requested an eight-point deduction.

Forest was left infuriated by the decision and the process. They claimed that spending restrictions on promoted clubs, whose allowable losses are reduced by £22m for each season during the three-year accounting period they spend in the EFL, undermined the “integrity and competitiveness” of the league. They have fallen to 18th place, one point behind Luton, and are considering an appeal.

A statement from Forest said: “We are extremely dismayed by the tone and content of the Premier League's submissions to the commission… We believe that the high levels of cooperation that the club has demonstrated during this process, and which are confirmed and recorded in the commission's decision, were not reciprocated by the Premier League.”

The commission rejected much of the mitigating evidence presented by Forest. One of the club's key arguments was related to the sale of Brennan Johnson. The striker was a key asset because, as a graduate of the academy, all money made from selling him would count as profit. The club knew it would need to sell a player to meet the PSR by June 30 and described its failure to do so as a “near miss.” They received an offer for Johnson of €50m (£42.9m) on that date from Atlético Madrid, but demanded €65m (£55.8m). Three offers were received from Brentford between early July and late August, but all were rejected, before Johnson was sold on September 1 to Tottenham for £47.5 million.

The commission believes that the club could have done more to complete Johnson's transfer by June 30, with several teams interested, and that missing the deadline by more than two months could not be classified as a “near failure”.

Forest said: “The commission's decision raises issues of concern for all aspiring clubs… There will be occasions when a player's transfer cannot be completed in the first half of a transfer window and can only be completed at the end of that window. This should not be a reason for condemnation of a club. “That this is not recognized by the commission or the Premier League should be a cause of extreme concern to all fans of our national football.”