Nottingham Forest have not resolved their dispute with Gary Neville before the new Premier League season and want assurances from the Sky Sports pundit before welcoming him back to the City Ground.
The former Manchester United captain was banned by Forest from the final game of last season after an intervention from their owner, Evangelos Marinakis, who had taken exception to Neville’s criticisms of his conduct.
Although Neville is not formally banned, the Guardian has been told Sky should not expect Neville to be accommodated as things stand. Forest want to resolve the issue but will demand assurances Neville will be more careful in his language when discussing Marinakis before confirming he can attend.
Neville’s claim in April 2024 that the club were behaving like “a mafia gang” particularly angered Marinakis and led to the owner threatening legal action against Sky. In a statement three months later, the broadcaster said: “Sky Sports have discussed with Gary the language used and its potential to cause offence.” Sky also apologised “for any offence caused”.
Neville has not been to Forest since he made those comments. He had been due to be part of Sky’s team there on the final day of last season for the visit of Chelsea but the broadcaster was forced to change its plans at the last minute, after Neville was denied media accreditation. It used its studios to present coverage of a game that decided the European fate of both clubs.
Sky described Forest’s ban as “an unprecedented and unwelcome step”. Neville wrote on social media at the time: “I’ve dished out my fair share of criticism and praise in the last 14 years of doing this job and have never come close to this unprecedented action. Personally, I think it’s disappointing that a great club like Nottingham Forest have been reduced to making such a decision. Whilst they have every right to choose who they let into their own stadium, it’s symptomatic of things that have happened over the last 12 months with the club.”
Two weeks earlier Neville had criticised Marinakis for walking on to the pitch and remonstrating with Forest’s manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, after a 2-2 draw with Leicester. Marinakis said he was frustrated that the injured forward Taiwo Awoniyi had been allowed to play on after colliding with a post. The striker had abdominal surgery the next day.
Neville described Marinakis’s conduct as “scandalous” and said Nuno should “negotiate his exit” over the way he appeared to have been spoken to by the owner.
Neville said the club had acted like a “mafia gang” in issuing a statement that criticised the video assistant referee Stuart Attwell after a 2-0 defeat at Everton. Forest were fined £750,000 by the Football Association for “an attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale” but, after threatening legal action, secured the apology from Sky.
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Forest did not breach any regulations by denying access to Neville but the league was unimpressed at the treatment of its main domestic broadcast partner. Sky will broadcast live coverage of Forest’s opening game against Brentford at the City Ground on Sunday, but Neville will be at Old Trafford for Manchester United v Arsenal.
Sky is understood to have assumed Neville’s ban was a one-off and that the matter was closed, but further talks will be required to resolve the standoff.
Forest and Sky Sports declined to comment.
