Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo says uncertainty over Nottingham Forest’s Premier League fate is having a detrimental effect on his players.
Forest appealed against a four-point deduction for violating profit and sustainability rules.
There is an interrogation scheduled for April 24.
The club is a point clear of the Premier League relegation zone ahead of Sunday’s game against struggling Everton, but will drop into the top three if Luton beats Brentford on Saturday.
There might be no immediate decision made following Wednesday’s appeal – meaning Forest can have to attend for a final decision – and Nuno says this is taking a toll on his team.
He said: “When you are playing in a season and this problem arises, the situation becomes much more difficult because of the uncertainty which disrupts the whole harmony of the team.
“We don’t know how many points we have because we still have the appeal. Maybe we’ll get four points back and everything will change.
“It becomes a problem because you’re working with something you can’t control.”
There was a forest received a four-point deduction in March after an independent commission found their losses by 2022-23 were £34.5m above the PSR threshold of £61m.
They were because of receive a six-point deduction – three points for the initial breach and an additional three for the extent of the breach – but their “early allegations” and “cooperation” meant this was reduced to 4 points.
“Of course [it is being spoken about at the training ground]. This is a point of distraction. It’s a constant situation because every day something happens – maybe we will get our points back, or maybe someone will take them away from us. All these things are causing the problem,” Nuno added.
Premier League clubs stand to lose £105m over three seasons – £35m per campaign – but Forest’s maximum loss could only be £61m as the club spent two years of the review period in the Championship.
Wednesday’s appeal might be reviewed by an independent commission, and a call date is unknown.
Everton are a point ahead of Forest, who’ve already had 10 points deducted, reduced to 6 on appeal, and are still He appealed against the two-point penalty were convicted this month of a second PSR violation.
Nuno added: “We are in an analogous situation. It’s very difficult to cope with this noise around you and this uncertainty. “We and Everton are dealing with the same problems.”
Credit : www.bbc.co.uk
