Gary Neville says he’s been banned from Nottingham Forest’s stadium for Chelsea match

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has revealed he has been banned from entering the City Ground for Nottingham Forest’s final Premier League fixture of the season against Chelsea on Sunday.

The former Manchester United and England defender said he was informed by Sky Sports that Forest had refused to grant him accreditation or stadium access in his role as a co-commentator.

“I’ve had no choice but to withdraw from the coverage,” the 50-year-old said in a statement on Instagram.

BBC Sport has reached out to Nottingham Forest for comment.

The ban comes after Neville publicly criticised Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this month.

Marinakis was seen marching onto the pitch and speaking animatedly with manager Nuno Espirito Santo following a dramatic 2-2 draw with Leicester City.

Neville wrote at the time: “Scandalous from that Forest owner. Nuno should go and negotiate his exit tonight with him. The Forest fans, players and manager do not deserve that.”

Forest later denied that the conversation was confrontational, calling the subsequent backlash “fake news.”

The club explained that Marinakis had been frustrated that striker Taiwo Awoniyi stayed on the pitch after suffering an injury in the 88th minute, which later required urgent surgery.

Reflecting on the ban, Neville said: “In 14 years of punditry, I’ve offered both praise and criticism, but I’ve never encountered anything like this.

While clubs have the right to decide who they allow into their stadiums, this feels reflective of other concerning trends at Forest over the past year.”

Forest, currently seventh in the Premier League, still have a slim chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, depending on Sunday’s results.

Neville concluded, “It’s disappointing that a historic club like Nottingham Forest has resorted to this. I wish the coaching staff, players, and fans the best as they aim for European qualification.”

The Premier League has confirmed that accreditation decisions are the responsibility of individual clubs.