Nottingham Forest’s Four-Point Deduction: The Case Settled in Nine Weeks
Forest were charged in January 2024 and docked four points nine weeks later for breaching the Premier League's spending rules.
Nottingham Forest were charged on 15 January 2024 and punished on 18 March 2024. Nine weeks from charge to a four-point deduction.
The breach
Forest broke the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules for the three seasons to 2022/23. Their limit was £61m, lower than the usual £105m because they had spent two of those seasons in the Championship. The commission found they had gone £34.5m over.
The Brennan Johnson argument
Forest argued they had held off selling Brennan Johnson before the end of their financial year so they could get a fair price. He joined Tottenham in September 2023.
The commission rejected that. It noted Forest had turned down earlier offers and put getting the best deal ahead of staying within the rules. “This business decision flies in the face of mitigation,” it said.
The punishment
The Premier League asked for an eight-point deduction. The commission gave four: three for the breach, three more for its size, then two taken off because Forest admitted it early and showed what the league called “exceptional cooperation”.
The deduction dropped Forest into the relegation zone. Their appeal was rejected on 7 May 2024, but they stayed up, finishing the season in 17th.
Also on DSN: Manchester City’s 115 Charges: Reported Findings Put Years of Delay Under the Spotlight.
Our sister site DGBN has also covered Forest completing the £22m signing of Muñoz from Palace.
Why it matters now
Forest cooperated and were punished in nine weeks. Everton’s two cases took months, not years. Compare that with the Manchester City 115 charges case, where 35 of the charges are for failing to cooperate.
