"Notification of Gary Neville off limits" Nottingham Forest head-to-head clash with Sky Sports
"Notification of Gary Neville off limits" Nottingham Forest head-to-head clash with Sky Sports
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An unusual thing happened ahead of the final match of the 38th round of the English Premier League in the 2024-2025 season.
According to the British daily Daily Mail's exclusive report on the early morning of the 24th in Korean time, Nottingham Forest has banned Gary Neville, Sky Sports' leading commentator, from entering the stadium. This is the first time that the final match of the season against Chelsea, which will take place on Sunday afternoon on the 25th (at midnight on the 26th in Korea).
According to reports, Nottingham Forest have asked Sky Sports to withdraw Neville's allocation of commentary, denying Neville access to the site itself. Forest has recently officially complained about Neville's frequent criticism of the club on social media and broadcasts, especially his repeated comments that seem to undermine the club's progress.
The Premier League secretariat was also aware of the move, but said it would not intervene, saying, "Each club has the authority to decide whether to enter or leave the asset."
Sky Sports said the decision was "unprecedented and regrettable," and accordingly, it plans to revise its broadcast plan and conduct a game presentation at its London headquarters studio. Other broadcasters will be in charge of on-site commentary, and Neville has been excluded from the commentators.
Neville himself expressed his feelings directly on his Instagram.
"Earlier this week, I was informed by Sky Sports that I would be in charge of on-site commentary for the Nottingham Forest-Chelsea match. But yesterday, I was told that Forest would not allow me broadcasting qualifications and access to the stadium. I had no choice but to step back from the broadcast."
"I've been fair in criticism and praise for 14 years, and it's the first time I've gone through something unprecedented like this. It's a pity that Forest, a great club, made this decision," he added.
The scandal began last month when owner Evangelos Marinakis entered the stadium shortly after the 2-2 draw between Forest and Leicester City and talked with manager Nunu Espiritu Santo. Neville left a comment criticizing the situation on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "It's a scandal. Nunu should negotiate retirement now."
In response, Forrest refuted the claim in a statement. "The situation stems from concerns about striker Aoni's abdominal injury, and it was to check the response of the medical staff," he explained. He also indirectly criticized Neville, saying, "The 'fake news' and sensational anger circulating on SNS without a context before and after do not help injured players at all."
In fact, this is not the first time Forest and Neville have had a bad relationship. After a controversial decision against Everton last year, Forest criticized the VAR allocation through their official account, and Neville caused controversy by describing Forest as "like a mafia gang." At the time, Sky Sports officially apologized to Forest and asked Neville to refrain from using the expression.
Regarding the incident, Sky Sports said, "Neville has decided not to participate in this broadcast voluntarily, and we fully support it." 메이저사이트
Nottingham Forest has not made any further official comments on the matter. However, the incident reveals the conflicts between the Premier League club and broadcaster, critical freedom of speech and the club's honor protection.