The Super Eagles duo of Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina are in danger of getting relegated from the Premier League this season after Nottingham Forest were handed a four-point deduction by an independent panel for breaching the league’s profitability and sustainability rules on Monday.
Following the news of the deduction, the former European champions, now 18th on the Premier League standings, dropped into the relegation zone with 21 points, one less than Luton Town, who moved into 17th.
Forest are the second team in the English top-flight to have been sanctioned for financial breaches after Everton were docked ten points in November 2023, before it was reduced to six points after the Merseyside team appealed.
The City Ground outfit was charged in January after the Premier League announced that Forest and Everton “had confirmed they were in breach of the league’s profitability and sustainability rules.”.
Premier League clubs are allowed to lose up to £35 million per season, which is about £105 million across three seasons.
However, Forest believed the sale of Welsh forward Brennan Johnson to Tottenham Hotspur for over £45 million in September 2023 put them in the clear, but the league revealed that the deal took place after its accounting deadline. The club defended themselves by arguing that selling Johnson a little later provided them with the possibility of earning a higher transfer fee.
Owned by Greek businessman Evangelos Marinakis, Forest had a hearing on the case on March 7 and 8, and they are expected to appeal the sanction. However, the Premier League’s rules state any appeals process should “conclude no later than and if possible some time before May 24”, at least five days after the final day of this season.
Forest are currently on a four-game winless run in the league, including playing out a 1-1 draw against Luton at Kenilworth Road on Saturday. They will host Crystal Palace next with the hopes of building up points towards escaping relegation.
