Laughing Jamie Carragher responds to Nottingham Forest's decision to ban Gary Neville from Chelsea game as David Beckham joins in row & aims dig at Premier League club

Nottingham Forest informed Sky Sports on Friday that they won't allow pundit and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville to enter the City Ground for their final Premier League clash against Chelsea on Sunday. Neville's ban comes as an apparent response to the former full-back's criticism of owner Evangelos Marinakis following an on-field discussion with manager Nuno Espirito Santo immediately after their clash with Leicester City recently.

In response to the unexpected ban, Neville wrote on Instagram: "I was contacted by Sky Sports earlier on in the week and told that I would be commentating at the City Ground on Sunday for the Nottingham Forest v Chelsea match. 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. I’ve had no choice but to withdraw from the coverage. I’ve dished out my fair share of criticism and praise in the last 14 years of doing this job and have never come close to this unprecedented action. 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."

Under Neville's Instagram post, former United and England team-mate Beckham wrote: "Must of been something to do with that 7-1 game back in the day." The Inter Miami owner was actually referring to a Premier League fixture that finished 8-1 back in the 1998-99 season, that saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer score four late goals at the City Ground.

Neville's fellow pundit and Liverpool icon Carragher, meanwhile, posted six laughing emojis. Neville then asked if he'd also been banned, to which he replied: "He (it is assumed Carragher's referring to Marinakis) said I was fine to commentate, but I couldn't go near the pitch. I said, 'I'm not coming at all if you're not letting Gary in', so he told me to, 'F*ck off'."

Both Chelsea and Forest are pushing for a Champions League spot, whereby only a win is likely to be enough to secure a top-five spot, with both hoping that results elsewhere go their way.