Nottingham Forest fired a shot at PGMOL for a poor Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision against Everton in a Premier League game on Sunday, April 21.
The English Club led by Nuno Espirito Santo have threatened to take action against the PGMOL in an explosive statement following their 2-0 defeat to Everton.
The Premier League relegation-threatened side released a critical post on social media minutes after their destructive defeat at Goodison Park that leaves the club 17th in the table and just one point ahead of the relegation zone and Luton Town in 18th.
After three potential penalties were not awarded to Forest by referee Anthony Taylor, including two controversies involving Ashley Young, Forest took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their disappointment at the decisions, and claimed that Stuart Attwell who was in charge of VAR for the game was Luton Town supporter.
Nottingham Forest accused Stuart Attwell of being a Luton fan because they felt they were on the wrong end of three extremely poor decisions during Sunday’s game at Goodison Park.
Forest posted on their official social media page, soon after full-time that they were considering their options, having initially warned the PGMOL that the VAR operator is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him, adding that their patience had now been tested multiple times this season.
The relegation-threatened club were furious not to be awarded penalties by Anthony Taylor for challenges on Giovanni Reyna and Callum Hudson-Odoi by Ashley Young, who in the meantime had looked fortunate to escape a handball decision, with Attwell backing the referee.
Forest posted a statement saying; “Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we simply cannot accept.”
“We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game, but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times.”
The club added; “NFFC will now consider its options.”
All three incidents were waved away by referee Anthony Taylor, with VAR Attwell opting not to reverse any decision, suggesting that Young’s arm had been deemed to be in a natural position when the ball was hit by Hudson-Odoi’s cross.
However, Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo backed the club’s statement but played down the importance of Attwell’s patriotism.
Asked whether he agreed with his club’s viewpoint, he said; “Yes I share (the view) because I saw the images. You see it so clearly, you don’t understand why the decision was against us.”
Therefore, it remains to be seen what action Forest will now take in what is the latest of a series of controversies between the club and the PGMOL which saw the club hire former official Mark Clattenburg as a refereeing analyst.
The aforementioned club post has garnered much attention on social media with fans divided on whether the explosive statement was a good idea or not.
Meanwhile, the FA have now confirmed they will investigate Nottingham’s Forest tweet due to the nature of the statement calling the integrity of the game into question.
Nottingham Forest point deduction issue set to be appeal
It is no news that Nottingham Forest were handed a point deduction for breaching the profit and sustainability rule.
Forest were given a four-point deduction in March 2024, after an independent commission found their losses in 2022-23 breached the PSR limit of £61 million by £34.5 million.
However, according to reports, the club’s appeal against their four-point punishment for breaching profit and sustainability rules (PSR) will be heard on Wednesday, 24 April.
The hearing is predicted to be summed up within a day, but no final decision will be made on the said date and Forest will have to wait to find out if they are successful.
The appeal will be heard by an independent commission with the decision having an enormous impact on the relegation battle.
Meanwhile, Nottingham currently sits in 17th position with 26 points in the Premier League, one point above relegation-threatened Luton Town who have gathered 25 points with five matches remaining in the 2023/2024 season.
