Manchester United icon Gary Neville has been banned from attending Nottingham Forest's final match of the season against Chelsea this afternoon
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Manchester United legend and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville
Manchester United legend and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville
(Image: PA)
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has made a playful reference to his ban from attending Nottingham Forest's City Ground this afternoon for their crucial clash against Chelsea.
Both Forest and Chelsea are battling for a place in next season's Champions League this afternoon. If the East Midlands club win, they only need a club above them to drop points to seal a spot at European football's top table.
Should Chelsea be victorious, they would secure Champions League football. Anything less and they will be watching what happens at Old Trafford with Aston Villa pushing for a spot in the top five.
With so many eyeballs expected to be on Forest, Sky had planned for the match to take precedence and had therefore looked to gain accreditation for Neville to join Peter Drury in the gantry. But taking to social media this weekend, the former United captain confirmed he had been banned.
"I was informed yesterday by Sky Sports that Nottingham Forest would not give me an accreditation or access to the stadium as a co-commentator," he explained. "I’ve had no choice but to withdraw from the coverage.
"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.
"I wish the coaching staff, players and fans of the club all the best in their quest to achieve Champions League football." Neville has been critical of Forest recently having blasted them for threatening legal action against the Premier League for a referee error last season.
He was also critical of Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis for confronting Nuno Espirito Santo after the draw with Leicester City. However, it appears that Neville is not taking the decision too seriously after he joked about it on his social channels.
After United shared a video of Neville making his debut against Coventry City, the 50-year-old shared it to his Instagram story, accompanied with the caption: "From my debut on the final day back in 1994 to being banned on the final day in 2025!
"What a journey it's been," he wrote accompanied by a laughing face. The Sun claims that Sky Sports and TNT Sports have held talks with the Premier League over Forest's stance and believe it may have set a dangerous precedent.
Gary Neville shares his thoughts on being banned by Nottingham Forest
Gary Neville shares his thoughts on being banned by Nottingham Forest
It is unclear whether Neville will feature at all on Sky's coverage this afternoon but it is claimed the production of the match is being moved to Sky's studios in London.
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