Nottingham Forest are flying in the Premier League right now and have the Champions League firmly in their sights.
Nuno Espirito Santo masterminded a stunning 1-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday as the Reds went four points clear of the reigning champions to keep them guessing on a place in Europe’s elite club competition.
Naturally, Forest aren’t there just yet either. The Reds are in uncharted waters in the modern game, with the club never playing in the Champions League since it changed its name from the European Cup.
Forest did claim two of the trophies back in the seventies and eighties. However, the financial incentives for reaching the competition these days are far more lucrative than once was the case.
Evangelos Marinakis has been busy making boardroom changes – and now it’s perhaps become clear why preparations are being made behind the scenes by the Forest owner.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
UEFA hand possible blow to Nottingham Forest
The Telegraph has made an alarming claim that Forest – and Chelsea – face being relegated from the Champions League to the Europa League if they don’t pause interest in their other clubs.
Both Marinakis and Chelsea bigwig Todd Boehly have vested interests elsewhere and that might prove to be a bit of a problem when it comes to playing in the Champions League next season.
It would mean Marinakis potentially having to pause his investment in Olympiacos to prevent Forest from being thrown out of the Champions League before a ball has even been kicked in 2025/26.
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Manchester United co-owners Ineos might have to suspend their involvement with Nice next season if the Red Devils were to win the Europa League this season and make a return to the competition.
This situation has already caused problems for the owners of Aston Villa and Manchester City in the future – but it’s believed that measures are in place to ensure the worst case scenario doesn’t become a reality.
Both Olympiacos and Forest are on course for the Champions League. The Greek outfit are seven points clear at the top of the Super League, whilst Forest are still third in the Premier League – with five English teams set to get the nod next season.
Forest make plans for next season already
Marinakis has been busy tweaking his boardroom when it comes to the clientele inside it. Ioannis Vrentzos is a long-term associate of Marinakis but he’s now been removed from the club’s board.
Elsewhere, co-owner Sokratis Kominakis has also been removed from the club’s board but both members of the Marinakis empire will remain on the board of directors with Olympiacos.
With the current landscape, Forest would be relegated from the Champions League into the Europa League as the higher placed team would take precedence, which is Olympiacos at this stage.
However, the hope will be that it doesn’t come to that. These recent changes in the boardroom will likely just be the start but hopefully, more work can be done in order to ensure that both clubs can compete in the Champions League should qualification be secured.