Nottingham Forest has reportedly banned Sky Sports pundit and former Manchester United and England defender, Gary Neville, from the City Ground for their final Premier League game of the season against Chelsea. The news broke out when Neville himself revealed this on his Instagram account.
Neville stated that he was informed by the broadcaster that Nottingham Forest "would not give me an accreditation or access to the stadium as a co-commentator". This unexpected turn of events forced him to withdraw from covering the much-anticipated match.
The 50-year-old football veteran expressed his disappointment over this decision on social media. However, BBC Sport has reached out to Nottingham Forest for their comments regarding this matter but there hasn't been any official statement yet.
Criticism towards Evangelos Marinakis
This ban comes after Neville publicly criticised Evangelos Marinakis, Nottingham Forest owner. The incident occurred after Marinakis marched onto the pitch and had an animated discussion with manager Nuno Espirito Santo following Leicester City's late goal in a 2-2 draw earlier this month.
Neville did not hold back in expressing his views about this incident. He wrote: "Scandalous from that Forest owner. Nuno should go and negotiate his exit tonight with him! The Forest fans, players and manager do not deserve that." His comments were seen as a direct attack on Marinakis' actions which might have led to his exclusion from the upcoming game.
While it remains unclear whether there will be any resolution to this issue, it has certainly added an unexpected twist to the final Premier League game of the season. As we wait for further updates from Nottingham Forest or Neville himself, fans and sports betting enthusiasts will be eagerly anticipating how this situation unfolds.
