NOTTINGHAM FOREST HIT WITH £750,000 FINE FOR ACCUSING VAR OF BIAS

Nottingham Forest have been hit with a £750,000 ($979,526) fine for a social media post last season aimed at video assistant referee Stuart Attwell, the English Football Association (FA) confirmed on Friday.

The post followed their 2-0 defeat to Everton on April 21, a time when both teams were embroiled in a relegation scrap. Luton were also involved in attempting to battle the drop, and Forest questioned Attwell's impartiality on the social media post.

"Three extremely poor decisions -- three penalties not given -- which we simply cannot accept," Forest said on their official X account. "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. NFFC will now consider its options."

A statement from the FA said Forest had also been warned "for misconduct in relation to comments posted on social media" alongside the fine.

The statement added: "The club denied that the comments posted on social media imply bias and/or question the integrity of the match officials and/or the video assistant referee and/or bring the game into disrepute.

"An independent regulatory commission found the charge to be proven following a hearing and imposed the club's sanctions."

The charge relates to a breach of FA Rule E3.1, with Forest's social media post guilty of constituting "improper conduct in that they imply bias and/or question the integrity of the Match Official[s] and/or the Video Assistant Referee and/or bring the game into disrepute."

Forest were angered by decisions made in the match, with all three penalty claims focusing on Everton's Ashley Young.

They were bothered by one tackle Young made on United States international Giovanni Reyna, an alleged handball off a Callum Hudson-Odoi cross, and then a tangle between Young and Hudson-Odoi in the second half.

"I don't understand the reason and the decision of [referee] Anthony Taylor and VAR Stuart Attwell, because I see the images," Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo told Sky Sports.

"It is hard to take. There is a penalty on Gio Reyna, it's a kick, don't tell me that is not contact. It's a penalty, then a handball, then the situation of the incident with Callum.

"So it's understandable that we react like this as a club because we want to get things right. We don't want bad referees. We want good decisions. OK, if we lost the game today and there were no incidents, we take it."

Forest had former referee Mark Clattenburg working at the club at the time as their referee analyst. He published a column in the Daily Mail defending the club's response and called the decisions a "hat trick of howlers."

He wrote: "One of these errors would have been bad enough. Three was a joke, and that is why Nottingham Forest were left feeling victimised after another defeat in which zero big decisions went their way.

"In a season where they have had to endure some egregious refereeing, this trip to Everton was as grim a game as they have encountered since returning to the Premier League.

"These situations were precisely why video technology was brought into the Premier League and yet, Attwell did not send Taylor to his monitor. Not once. It was a hat-trick of howlers from the refereeing team and, unfortunately for Forest, a continuation of an unjust trend that has hampered their survival fight.

"You will have seen the statement released by the club - how the PGMOL were contacted to warn that it was not appropriate for a Luton fan such as Attwell to play such a pivotal role in a massive match that would impact the relegation race."

Clattenburg left his role as Forest's refereeing consultant amid a backlash to his public interventions as a former Premier League referee.

- Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer

CLATTENBURG LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ROLE AFTER VAR BACKLASH

 Mark Clattenburg has left his role as Nottingham Forest's refereeing consultant, the Premier League club announced on Friday.

"Since February this year, I have been proud to have done so under a consultancy agreement between NFFC and Referee Consultant Ltd," Clattenburg said in a statement.

"I performed my services under the consultancy agreement in good faith, to the best of my abilities and in the hope of using my extensive experience as a match official to help NFFC understand how decisions in relation to key match incidents are made amid the workings of VAR.

"However, it is now clear that the existence and performance of these consultancy services has caused unintended friction between NFFC and other participants, to the extent that it has become more of a hinderance than help to NFFC. It has also led to the unmerited targeting of me, personally, by certain participants and pundits.

"Such reactions and outcome was not expected and is regrettable, as it is my sincere belief that there is a place for and value in such a role in the modern game.

"I am grateful to NFFC and wish them all the best during the remainder of the season and in the future. It's been an honour."

- ESPN

FOREST SHOULD HAVE HAD ONE PENALTY AT EVERTON - PANEL

Anthony Taylor waved away three Nottingham Forest penalty appeals at Everton

 

 Nottingham Forest should have been awarded one penalty from their three unsuccessful appeals against Everton, an independent panel has said.

Claims for penalties after Ashley Young's challenge on Gio Reyna, his handball and then an attempted tackle on Callum Hudson-Odoi were all turned down by Anthony Taylor on the pitch, with video assistant referee Stuart Attwell not intervening.

Forest lost the Premier League game 2-0 at Goodison Park on 21 April.

Minutes after full-time the club posted on social media, alleging Attwell was a fan of relegation rivals Luton - a statement which has been seen more than 45 million times.

Forest's post said: "Three extremely poor decisions - three penalties not given - which we simply cannot accept.

"We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan... NFFC will now consider its options."

What did the panel say?

The Key Match Incident Panel is independent and made up of three former players or coaches, one Premier League representative and one from the Professional Game Match Officials Board, the referees' body.

It reviews the big refereeing decisions from each Premier League round of fixtures and unanimously agreed Forest should have been given a penalty when Young brought down Hudson-Odoi in the 55th minute.

"Young inherits the risk by going to ground from the wrong side and Hudson-Odoi beats him to the ball. It is a foul," the panel wrote in their decisions, seen by BBC Sport.

"It was felt unanimously that a penalty should have been awarded and VAR should have intervened on the basis that Young doesn't make any contact on the ball and that there is evidence that his contact with Hudson-Odoi has the consequence of tripping the attacker."

They also voted 5-0 that VAR should have intervened.

The panel was split 3-2 over the on-pitch decision over whether Forest should have been awarded a spot-kick when the ball hit Young's arm in the 44th minute, but all agreed VAR was correct not to intervene.

They argued it was a subjective call but "the majority considered this a dynamic situation where the arm was in a justifiable position, and with no clear action to deliberately handle the ball. In addition the close proximity from which the ball was played by the attacker was taken into account."

They also agreed, in a 5-0 decision, that Young's 24th-minute challenge on Reyna did not warrant a penalty and that VAR was correct not to step in.

The panel wrote: "The ball isn't played, there is contact by the defender on the attacker but any contact is minimal and is exaggerated by the attacker, and falls below the high threshold for a penalty."

 What is the background?

Forest are expected to face charges from the Premier League and Football Association following their social media post.

Last week the FA formally asked for observations from Forest, boss Nuno Espirito Santo, defender Neco Williams and Mark Clattenburg, the club's referee analysist, following their comments.

The Premier League is also investigating, saying it was "never appropriate to improperly question the integrity of match officials".

Forest have been allowed to listen to the audio recording of the officials' discussions after the incidents.

It follows Liverpool’s similar request when Luis Diaz’s goal was incorrectly disallowed in their 2-1 defeat at Tottenham in September.

Forest are one point above the Premier League's bottom three after Sunday's 2-0 defeat by Manchester City and travel to relegated Sheffield United on Saturday.

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