Nottingham Forest’s appeal against the four-point deduction they received for breaching Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules has been unsuccessful. The club had hoped to overturn the ruling from an independent commission, but will now remain on 29 points, three points above the relegation zone with two games left to play.
The Premier League released a statement confirming that an independent Appeal Board had upheld the decision to deduct points from Nottingham Forest due to a breach of the PSRs. The club had appealed the decision on two grounds, arguing that the commission made errors in not considering a player’s sale as a mitigating factor and in not suspending some or all of the points deduction.
However, the Appeal Board rejected both of these arguments and determined that the independent Commission was justified in immediately imposing the four-point deduction. As a result, the deduction will stand. The Appeal Board’s decision is final and independent of the Premier League and its member clubs.
The Appeal Board was chaired by Rt Hon Lord Dyson and included David Phillips KC and Daniel Alexander KC. Each member was appointed by independent Chair of Premier League Judicial Panel. The full written reasons for the Appeal Board’s decision can be found on Premier League’s website.