Soccer-U.S. consortium reveals failed bid for Nottingham Forest

Jan 20 (Reuters) - Nottingham Forest owner Fawaz Al Hasawi has rejected an improved bid from the U.S.-based consortium that is trying to take over the struggling English Championship club. Ex-San Diego Padres owner John Jay Moores and fellow entrepreneur Charles Noell, who head the consortium, said in a statement that Al Hasawi, who took over Forest in 2012, had turned down their latest offer. "We have been firmly committed to completing the acquisition since we opened negotiations in August and we remained optimistic throughout that the sale would be completed," they added. "That the deal remains incomplete is not due to any lack of immediately available capital, belief, desire, action or ability on the part of either ourselves or our advisory team. "We will remain interested in following Forest's performance with a view to perhaps re-engaging with the ownership about acquiring the club in the future." Former double European Cup winners Forest are three points above the relegation zone in England's second-tier and sacked manager Philippe Montanier last week after just seven months in charge. Al Hasawi issued an open letter to Forest's supporters on the club's website on Thursday, saying he is committed to securing Forest's success on and off the pitch and announcing the appointment of Samantha Gordon as Chief Financial Officer. "I know that there have been a number of rumours circulating on the takeover talks over the last few days," he added. "Unfortunately I am not able to go into detail about those talks due to confidentiality restrictions; however I would like to publicly reiterate my dedication to the club and its fans." (Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)