Nottingham Forest have been fined for the pitch invasion which took place after last season’s play-off semi-final second leg against Sheffield United at the City Ground.
The Reds have been fined £50,000 for breaching FA rule E20, which involved “failing to ensure that its spectators - and all persons purporting to be its supporters or followers - conducted themselves in an orderly fashion”. An independent regulatory commission imposed the fine following a hearing, with £25,000 suspended until the end of next season, provided there are no further breaches of the rule.
A statement from the Football Association said: “An independent Regulatory Commission has fined Nottingham Forest FC £50,000 for breaching FA Rule E20 at its game against Sheffield United FC on Tuesday 17 May 2022 in the EFL Championship.
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“The FA charged Nottingham Forest FC with failing to ensure that its spectators – and all persons purporting to be its supporters or followers – conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from using threatening and/or violent behaviour whilst encroaching onto the pitch following the final whistle.
“Nottingham Forest FC partially admitted the charge and the independent Regulatory Commission imposed the club’s fine following a hearing. £25,000 of this fine has been suspended until the conclusion of the 2023/24 season provided Nottingham Forest FC has no further breach of FA Rule E20.”
The pitch invasion occurred after the Reds had beaten the Blades on penalties and secured their place in the play-offs final at Wembley. A Forest fan was jailed for headbutting United striker Billy Sharp during the incident.
The FA summarised its case into four separate, but related, issues. They were: 1) Insufficient number of stewards; 2) Inappropriate deployment of stewards to prevent the mass pitch invasion; 3) Failure to protect tunnel and technical areas and 4) failure to screen for pyrotechnics. In paragraph 9 of its submissions dated 13 January 2023, Forest made clear they accepted the charge related to issue No.3 only. The other issues were not accepted.
In the independent regulatory commission’s written reasons for the fine, they said: “Were it not for the assault on Mr Sharp we would impose a lesser penalty. But the fact of that assault requires a penalty that marks the seriousness of what took place.”
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