Nottingham Forest issue statement on X calling into question the integrity of VAR official Stuart Attwell after their 2-0 loss to Everton; Forest denied three penalties and will 'now consider options'; Response branded 'embarrassing' by Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher
Friday 10 May 2024 09:35, UK
Nottingham Forest have accused Stuart Attwell, the VAR for their contentious 2-0 defeat at Everton, of being a Luton Town fan after a series of appeals for penalties by Forest were turned down.
Forest had penalty appeals waved away on three separate occasions by match referee Anthony Taylor with the on-field decisions endorsed by Attwell in the VAR hub.
After the game, Forest posted on X, formerly Twitter: "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. NFFC will now consider its options."
Former Premier League referee, Mark Clattenburg, works as a consultant for Forest and was at Goodison Park for the match.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher - who felt that both of Forest's first-half penalty appeals should have been awarded - described the statement as "embarrassing", while Gary Neville branded it "horrendous".
The defeat at Goodison Park leaves Nuno Espirito Santo's side one point better off than 18th-placed Luton with four games remaining.
"We've tried to ignore it but so many times it's repeating - bad decisions against us... not given," the Forest boss told Sky Sports. "It's very difficult to control the players and ask them to be focused and me myself to be composed, because it's been very hard.
"It's been clear what has been happening to us, not only in this game. I saw the images, it's hard to take, the players see the images. It's a penalty on Gio Reyna, it's a kick. It's a handball, the incident with Callum (Hudson-Odoi).
"It's understandable we react like this as a club because we want to get things right. We don't want bad referees."
Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher:
"It tells you where we are with the PL and the clubs now. [Stuart] Attwell and [Anthony]Taylor have had an awful day today, and they should be criticised, but what I've just read there is like a fan in a pub. That is embarrassing from Nottingham Forest.
"Rubbish: the VAR is a Luton fan? You can't get involved in that. You have to show class as a football club. That is nonsense."
Sky Sports' Gary Neville:
"It is a horrendous statement by that football club. It lets the proud history of that club down, and the inferred cheating, suggesting the official is a Luton Town fan, is absolutely ridiculous. I don't even know what 'explore all options' means."
Nottingham Forest defender Neco Williams:
"It's three blatant penalties. Everyone watching that game knows they are penalties. Every single week this happens now, we're getting decisions against us, I don't know why.
"Is it because we are lower bottom half table teams? I guarantee top-six teams are getting every single one of them. It's ridiculous, it's week after week we're getting decisions against us.
"At the end of the day, we're down there and fighting to stay in the league, and we're having zero help from the Premier League and people up in the rooms. It's ridiculous now."
