The shameless derby: Why Nottingham Forest have made their clash with Manchester City a lose-lose for neutrals

City have made themselves hard to like amid allegations of financial wrongdoing, writes Peter Hall, but their opponents on Sunday have taken negative PR to another level with their tirade against VAR

Nottingham Forest accused a Premier League official of bias in a controversial statement (Getty)

To a lesser extent, when Nottingham Forest and Manchester City take to the field on Sunday, it must be what boxing traditionalists feel whenever Logan Paul and KSI step into a ring to headline a pay-per-view event.

While they have not been prosecuted for anything yet, many supporters of other clubs have washed their hands of City over their alleged 115 Financial Fair Play charges, whether they are guilty or not.

No smoke without fire, after a four-year Premier League investigation, the naysayers suggest, fuelled by the fact City don’t seem in any hurry to prove their innocence – something they insist can be easily done.