‘What a shambles,’ says Garth Crooks following Nottingham Forest’s points deduction.
Nottingham Forest was recently fined four points for breaking financial fair play regulations. Garth Crooks, a BBC Sport expert, has been discussing the situation between Liverpool, Everton, and Manchester City.
Forest’s case was considered last month by an independent panel. Despite the Premier League’s proposal for an eight-point punishment, Forest received just four points for their actions.
The punishment originally placed the side into the relegation zone. However, a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace on Saturday, along with a defeat for Luton, saw the squad return over the dotted line.
Naturally, this is a fiercely contested topic in football circles. Crooks has now spoken out on the matter, with Everton poised to shed more points in the coming weeks.
Garth Crooks reacts as Nottingham Forest loses four points.
Well, it’s all getting a little bit messy. No sooner had Forest been deducted four points, than it was announced that Everton could soon discover the fate of their second charge after losing six points earlier this season.
No other Premier League season has seen so many teams deducted points. However, with the rules as skewed in the favour of big clubs as they are now, more could follow in future seasons.
Now, Crooks has reacted to the situation. Something doesn’t quite sit right with him regarding the whole situation and he’s mentioned Manchester City who still have 115 charges hanging over them.
He told BBC Sport: “What a mess. The recent four-point deduction given to Nottingham Forest for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules seriously threatens their top-flight survival.
“They now join Everton – who were docked 10 points earlier in the season for similar offences, prior to being given four points back on appeal – in a perilous situation at the bottom.
“Meanwhile, it is more than a year since Manchester City were charged with more than 100 alleged breaches of financial rules – which they deny – but it’s business as usual for them. I think football fans deserve to know why.
“What is even more interesting is if Nottingham Forest or Everton do go down why should the players of either club suffer the financial loss or status? They have done nothing wrong. I would be consulting my lawyers and considering leaving the club with my registration in hand.
“The Premier League, in trying to ensure fair play, seem to have done the opposite. They have created a legal battlefield and left certain clubs completely exposed having opened a hornets’ nest. What’s more, it is the players and their fans who are the ones getting stung.”
Premier League need to take action and reset
This situation can’t keep happening. On one hand, Forest shouldn’t have broken the rules and the club has correctly been punished, but the rules simply aren’t fit for purpose.
Clubs like Everton and Forest are getting penalised and their cases heard in record time – whilst Manchester City seemingly get away with continuing to have their hearing pushed back.
Still, Forest have been caught out with some reckless spending. Far too many players have signed with little or zero impact and improving on the recruitment front is a must in the summer.
Crooks is right though that the whole situation that has seen Forest punished is a mess. The Premier League will be glad to see the back of this season and then they must have a look at their rules once again.
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