Nottingham Forest may have just made a controversial decision behind closed doors that could end up costing the team.
Forest may find out this week how the Reds will be punished for their charges related to sustainability and profitability.
Now that Premier League clubs were required to cast another vote, this time regarding a settlement with the EFL, Forest has revealed their hand.
Nottingham Forest votes down a proposed new EFL deal.
The Daily Mail, which has revealed the ten clubs that have rejected the new EFL settlement, is the source of this information.
The fact that Forest is one of the teams refusing to comply with the conditions of this new settlement probably will not surprise anyone.
Moreover, the ten parties who rejected the proposal are allegedly considering taking legal action in the event that a government regulator requires them to make the payment.
On the other hand, Forest might be about to shoot themselves in the foot with this one.
The disparity in football revenue between the Premier League and the EFL is, in our opinion, rather egregious, and something has to give.
It has been reported that insiders think it unfit for purpose for a company to be forced to pay a competitor in the same industry, with the competitor using the money to try and win a spot in the Premier League.
That makes some sense, but everyone understands that football is not like other businesses.
In addition to the current £110 million in development funding and solidarity payments, the proposed amounts would pay EFL clubs £836 million over a five-year period.
In the event that an agreement cannot be reached, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has previously threatened government intervention.
Forest might come to regret this choice.
On the one hand, it is fortunate that Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief, has not gotten Forest to agree to anything.
The person who referred to Forest and Everton as “small clubs” is probably not deserving of Evangelos Marinakis’ wrath.
Still, there seems to be some controversy surrounding this one, so Forest needs to proceed with caution.
The fact that Forest might not be in the Premier League after this season is where their issues lie.
With the exception of Crystal Palace, the other nine clubs are all but guaranteed to compete in the Premier League again.
Forest may return to the EFL in the near future, and by then, the team may wish they had been a little more receptive to this idea.
In a perfect world, Forest would bounce back quickly from any setbacks, as Leicester and Leeds have this season.
There is no assurance of this, though, and the last time the Reds left the Premier League, it took them 23 years to return.
The cost of this choice will only become apparent over time, and hopefully Forest will not suffer a catastrophic setback as a result.