If they appeal the PSR charge?

Nottingham Forest have been warned that they could potentially be docked further points if they appeal against their recent Premier League points deduction.

The Club was handed a four-point penalty on Monday after being charged with breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability rules in January.

It was found that Forest made losses of £34.5m over the allotted figure permitted to clubs in the Premier League.

In Forest’s case, though, as they had spent two years in the Championship during that period, their cap on losses was much lower compared to clubs that had spent the entire time in the Premier League.

The deduction sent Forest into the bottom three, one point below Luton Town, with whom they drew 1-1 at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.

In a statement released in the aftermath of the punishment, the Club showed their dissatisfaction with the ruling, with an appeal looking likely.

The statement read: “Nottingham Forest is highly disappointed with the decision of the Commission to impose a sanction on the Club of four points, to be applied immediately.

“We were highly dismayed by the tone and content of the Premier League’s submissions before the Commission.

“After months of engagement with the Premier League and exceptional cooperation throughout, this was unexpected and has harmed our trust and confidence in the Premier League.

“That the Premier League sought a sanction of eight points as a starting point was utterly disproportionate compared to the nine points that their own rules prescribe for insolvency.”

Further in the strongly-worded statement, Forest questioned the integrity of the Premier League, claiming that the current rules unfairly hold back clubs outside of the elite.

“We were also surprised that the Premier League did not consider the unique circumstances of the Club and its mitigation.

“In circumstances where future PSR commissions follow this approach, it would make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for newly promoted clubs without parachute payments to compete, thus undermining the integrity and competitiveness of the Premier League.

“The rationale of the Commission is that clubs should only invest after they have realized a profit on their player development. This reasoning destroys mobility in the football pyramid, and the decision will drastically reduce the room for maneuvering for all such clubs, leading to the stagnation of our national game.”

With the anger there for all to see, news claims that financial and law experts have stated any appeal from Forest could result in further sanctions, as the entire case would need to be reassessed by the Commission from top to bottom.

As Forest was spared an additional two points from their penalty due to cooperation during the process, that could be reapplied if the Club decides to appeal, extending the charge to a six-point penalty.

The report also states that the Premier League could hand Forest the eight-point penalty they were initially pushing for if the decision goes to an appeal.

Everton was not found to be cooperative during their first charge last November, and they allegedly provided false figures in terms of their overall spending, meaning they were not let off with two points in the same way as Forest.

However, the Toffees have admitted a breach for their second charge and could see their punishment reduced when it is heard next week before being announced in April.