Another Premier League club has now officially been docked points for financial breaching.
Nottingham Forest now find themselves in the relegation zone after being handed a four-point deduction for violating the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
"An independent commission has applied an immediate four-point deduction to Nottingham Forest FC for a breach of the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSRs) for the period ending Season 2022/23," the Premier League confirmed in a statement.
"Nottingham Forest was referred to an independent commission on January 15, following an admission by the club that it had breached the relevant PSR threshold of £61m by £34.5m. The threshold was lower than £105m as the club spent two seasons of the assessment period in the EFL Championship.
"The case was heard in accordance with new Premier League rules, which provide an expedited timetable for PSR cases to be resolved in the same season the complaint is issued.
"The independent commission determined the sanction following a two-day hearing this month, at which the club had the opportunity to detail a range of mitigating factors. The commission found that the club had demonstrated 'exceptional co-operation' in its dealings with the Premier League throughout the process."
The Tricky Trees' punishment comes after Everton had 10 points deducted in November for PSR breaches.
That was, however, reduced to six points after the club appealed the decision.
Forest were referred to an independent commission earlier this year when the side reported losses that went above what was allowed during a three-year cycle that ended at the closure of the 2022/23 campaign.
Each Premier League club is allowed to lose £105 million (R2.5 billion) over a three-year period. Forest, however, were not allowed that leeway as they spent of the past three years in the Championship, limiting them to an amount of £61 million (R1.4 billion).
It is understood that Forest argued that there were extenuating circumstances around the sale of Brennan Johnson to Tottenham Hotspur – earlier in the window ahead of this season, they could have sold him to Brentford but decided to hold out for a bigger offer, which eventually came from Spurs. However, said bid only arrived after the PSR deadline on 30 June.
The Tricky Trees could have either been fined or stripped of points under the current guidelines, but Nuno Espirito Santo's men have now slipped to 18th position on the EPL table after the latter approach was decided.
It is understood Forest are now deliberating over whether or not to appeal the decision. If they do decide to do so, which appears likely, their case must reportedly be heard and concluded by 15 April.
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