Forest expect to discover the Nottinghameir punishment in the coming days as Newcastle United continue to stick to the Premier League’s financial rules to avoid a similar fate.
A hearing took place last week to decide Forest’s sanction after the club were charged with a breach of the top-flight’s profit and sustainability regulations earlier this year. Nuno’s team, who are currently in 17th place, face the possibility of a points deduction after previously seeing Everton handed such a penalty in what was deemed a benchmark punishment.
Everton were originally docked 10 points by an independent commission for a single breach, but this was reduced to six on appeal. It was nonetheless a sanction that sent shockwaves through boardrooms up and down the country, including at Newcastle, where CEO Darren Eales admitted it had ‘focused minds’.
Newcastle’s owners vowed from the off not to ‘abuse any systems’ and, having spent upwards of £400m to date, January was the first window the black-and-whites did not do any major business in since the takeover. In truth, it would have been ‘impossible’ for Newcastle to make any signings in the mid-season window without letting someone go because of the regulations; the Magpies even had to step away from a loan move for Kalvin Phillips although that ultimately proved a blessing.
Newcastle’s finances will be boosted in the summer by the latest round of TV money, a lucrative sponsorship deal with Adidas and the funds received from competing in the Champions League, but Eddie Howe suggested last week he could not see how there will be a ‘mass overhaul’ this summer. “It’s almost impossible because of Financial Fair Play rules,” he added. “Any player that we lose from our squad has to be replaced. It costs a lot of money to find elite Premier League players. I’m sure there will be trading, but I’m not sure how much.”
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