Gary Neville will not be part of Sky Sports’ coverage for Nottingham Forest’s final Premier League match of the season after being banned from attending the game.
According to the Telegraph, Forest refused to grant him media accreditation, so Sky will broadcast Sunday’s high-stakes fixture against Chelsea remotely from their studios in London.
The situation is part of a growing dispute between Neville and Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.
The former Manchester United defender has been flagged by Forest after publicly criticising Marinakis for stepping onto the pitch following the 2-2 draw against Leicester City.
Neville called the incident ‘scandalous’ on social media and suggested that Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo should reconsider his position at the club.
His comments came as Taiwo Awoniyi, who was injured during the match, was later hospitalised and placed in an induced coma after suffering a severe abdominal injury.
Forest later issued a strongly worded statement slamming Neville for his ‘baseless and ill-informed outrage’, claiming he did that to get online attention.
This isn’t the first time Neville and Forest have been involved in a squabble. Last season, he likened Forest to a ‘Mafia gang’ after they lost to Everton.
Things have gone overboard this time. Marinakis has accused Neville of turning hostile due to an alleged smear campaign designed to influence his commentary.
Forest’s refusal to allow Neville into City Ground hasn’t gone down well at Sky Sports, who have described their action as ‘unprecedented and unwelcome’.
Neville has agreed to step aside, so he will not feature in any part of the broadcast, but Sky has confirmed that they’d still have a commentary team at the City Ground.
Forest attempted to play down the situation by claiming that Neville’s presence could spark outrage among the home supporters, who believe he’s biased against the club.
