The much maligned owner has had to fend off protests from the club’s fans, and going by his mistakes, it’s little wonder.
Nottingham Forest owner Fawaz Al Hasawi
If you were to ask your average Nottingham Forest fan for a few words regarding their thoughts on the club’s owner, Fawaz Al Hasawi, there’s a very strong chance it would be expletive ridden and highly critical.
To say the club has been in turmoil off the field would redefine the word ‘understatement’, and Al Hasawi’s legacy has seen the club regress in every season he’s been owner, while protests have sprung up and the #FawazOut hashtag has gained significant popularity on social media.
Following reports that Al Hasawi is entertaining a third genuine takeover bid this season alone, as reports The Guardian, here are just five reasons why the vast majority of Forest fans despise their owner so much.
Sacking Sean O’Driscoll
We go back to Al Hasawi’s first season in charge, and the writing was on the wall his reign would be a disaster from this moment forth. In manager Sean O’Driscoll, who was far from Forest’s first choice, the club had assembled a team together and it seemed a case where everything had fit into place just right, irrespective of managerial or player ability. Al Hasawi had other ideas however, and hours after defeating Leeds United 4-2 in an enthralling encounter at The City Ground, O’Driscoll was sacked – with the club one point outside the play-off places.
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock
Making Neil Warnock turn the job down over fears of interference
The following season and Al Hasawi had again sacked a manager with the club just outside the play-offs, with Billy Davies getting the axe after an eight match winless run which culminated with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of hated rivals Derby County. At least that sacking made some sense, however what came next was a total farce. Neil Warnock was sounded out as a replacement, but the experienced manager turned the job down having met Al Hasawi and deciding that the owner would try and interfere with his team selection, as reports The Independent. This meant academy boss Gary Brazil had to stand in for the rest of the season, despite the club signing one of Warnock’s targets in Lee Peltier on loan.
Selling Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow behind Stuart Pearce’s back
This is probably when the anger against Al Hasawi really started to build, as he didn’t just mess about any manager, he messed about a club legend in Stuart Pearce – and sold some of the family silver in youth graduates in the process. The season after the Warnock calamity, an offer from Newcastle United arrived for both Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow, which Pearce told Al Hasawi to reject, as the bid in question wasn’t a good deal for the club, as reports BBC Sport. However, Al Hasawi accepted it anyway without Pearce knowing, and the manager at the time wasn’t even informed about the sale until a couple of days after.
Nottingham Forest manager Dougie Freedman gestures to referee Graham Scott
Sacking Dougie Freedman as the team weren’t challenging for the play-offs
Given how quickly Freedman replaced Pearce, a fair few fans never took to him as they saw Freedman as someone happy to help boot out a club legend, and as such, were more than happy to blow out of proportion the slightest thing and criticise him endlessly. Due to this, his sacking was mildly celebrated by some fans, however the reasons by Al Hasawi for his sacking turned some of the more level headed fans against him. Despite the club selling their best player in Michail Antonio while under a transfer embargo, incredibly the Forest owner still expected the club to challenge for the play-offs, as reports the Telegraph.
Selling Oliver Burke behind Philippe Montanier’s back
The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Despite Philippe Montanier being told by Al Hasawi, as reports the Nottingham Post, that arguably the club’s best ever academy graduate in Oliver Burke would remain with the Reds following an outstanding 3-1 win over Leeds United, in which Burke scored, Al Hasawi sold Burke behind Montanier’s back to RB Leipzig the very next day. The backlash from fans was absolutely furious and led to a club statement being posted on the official site, in which Montanier clearly states he didn’t sanction the Burke transfer, and Al Hasawi lost all trust with supporters from that moment on.
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