Sport nationNottingham Forest statement and Mark Clattenburg claim disputed by PGMOL after Everton VAR chaos
Reports suggest that Forest did not warn the PGMOL about Stuart Attwell taking charge of VAR against Everton, as was claimed by the club in an explosive statement after the 2-0 defeat
A dejected Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park on April 21, 2024 in Liverpool, England.
Nottingham Forest did not make a request for Stuart Attwell to be taken off Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duty for Sunday’s game against Everton, according to reports.
The 2-0 win for the Blues has triggered a spectacular fallout, with Forest issuing a statement at full time criticising the officials and insinuating bias from the VAR, who they claimed was a Luton Town supporter.
“We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him,” read a section of the statement. “Our patience has been tested multiple times.”
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However, according to the Press Association, Forest did not make an official request to have Attwell taken off the game.
“PA understands Forest’s referee analyst Mark Clattenburg contacted PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer Howard Webb on Friday to share that manager Nuno Espirito Santo might be asked about Attwell’s appointment at his pre-match press conference, but ultimately no such questions were asked,” reads the Press Association report.
“However, the PA news agency has been told Forest, and Clattenburg, did not request for the appointment of Attwell to be changed and nor did the club express that they had any problem with the appointment.”
The Press Association note they have contacted Forest, who are to be subject to an FA investigation for their post-match statement, for a response to the claims.
Clattenburg, who was recently appointed to the role of Forest’s referee analyst, was critical of three decisions that went against his side during the loss to the Blues in his own column in the Daily Mail.
In the piece, Clattenburg suggested “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.”
The former referee, who produced an infamous performance against Everton during the 2007 Merseyside derby, also spoke out publicly to criticise referees after his side’s 1-0 loss to Liverpool earlier in the year.
On Sunday Forest were left furious by two tackles by Ashley Young, either side of a handball claim against the veteran in the first half. However, none of the incidents were deemed penalties by match referee Anthony Taylor, nor significant enough for Attwell to send Taylor to screen for a review.
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Amina Umar