Nottingham Forest will be allowed to hear the VAR audio from Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Everton; Forest called for the audio between Stuart Attwell and on-field official Anthony Taylor to be released publicly; Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) insists it has nothing to hide
By Rob Dorsett
Senior Nottingham Forest executives were so angry with the match officials at Goodison Park that they wanted to put out a statement at half-time criticising their performance and questioning their impartiality, Sky Sports News can reveal.
However, Forest’s media chief was seen to intervene and persuade them not to do so, for fear it could be a distraction in the second half, and lead to a backlash from the football authorities.
Forest are currently being investigated by the FA and the Premier League for a statement that was put out shortly after the final whistle in the 2-0 defeat to Everton, in which they criticised the PGMOL and questioned the integrity of the VAR Stuart Attwell.
The club remain adamant that they were denied three clear penalties, and have since demanded the PGMOL release the audio from the match officials during the incidents.
Sources close to refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) insist it has nothing to hide and will give the club the opportunity to hear the audio in private, as it would any other club making a similar request.
No decision has yet been taken on whether this audio will also feature in the next edition of ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up’, which will air next Tuesday evening on Sky Sports.
Forest have also called for a change in the rules in terms of how officials are selected for duty – with more of them blocked from being involved in matches which could have an impact on the team they personally support.
Forest declined to comment further when approached by Sky Sports News on Tuesday afternoon.
They say their focus now is entirely on their appeal – which begins on Wednesday – against a four point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher gives his opinion on all three of Nottingham Forest’s penalty appeals against Everton
Forest have risked Football Association and Premier League sanctions over their extraordinary response to the three rejected penalty appeals.
The Premier League said it was “extremely disappointed” by the statement, adding it was “never appropriate to improperly question the integrity of match officials”.
The league said it was investigating the matter in relation to the league’s rules, with regulations B.15 and B.16 governing the requirement on clubs and their officials to behave with utmost good faith.
Forest went on to release a further statement on Monday evening calling for the rules around referees’ allegiances to be updated to account for “contextual rivalries in the league table”.
Sky Sports’ Ron Walker takes a closer look at the criteria used by the PGMOL to select officials every week in the Premier League
Referees do already declare allegiances and will not be assigned that team’s matches, or certain other fixtures such as those involving direct local rivals of that club. For instance, Michael Oliver has spoken in the past about how he cannot referee Newcastle games because he is a fan.
Other factors that determine appointments include which teams an official’s immediate family members support, as well as performance and the number of times they have officiated a particular team’s matches.
PGMOL takes all of that into account and endeavours to make the best appointments possible when allocating six officials to each Premier League fixture from a pool of 70 to 75, while also fulfilling Championship refereeing appointments.
Ultimately, it has confidence in the impartiality and professionalism of its officials.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean says that Nottingham Forest’s statement suggesting that Stuart Attwell is a Luton Town fan was ‘astounding’ and questions why they hadn’t complained about being refereed by him earlier in the season
No club is believed to have ever questioned the process in the manner Forest have since the birth of the Premier League 32 years ago, and nor have the club raised any concerns in relation to the previous occasions when Attwell has been the VAR at their matches this season.
English officials are clearly well thought of by UEFA, with eight included in the list for Euro 2024 this summer.
Taylor will lead one of two English referee teams at Euro 2024, with Oliver leading the other. Attwell and David Coote have been named as VARs.
Three Forest staff – manager Nuno Espirito Santo, full-back Neco Williams and referee analyst Mark Clattenburg – have been asked by the FA for observations on the comments they made about the officiating at Goodison Park.
Gary Neville says Nottingham Forest will regret their ‘horrendous’ statement made in the aftermath of the VAR controversy
Man Utd boss Ten Hag: We must respect referees
Forest’s response has also drawn criticism from Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag on Tuesday.
“You can’t do that. You can agree, you can disagree,” the Dutchman said.
“The handball for Wan-Bissaka [in United’s FA Cup semi-final against Coventry] is totally wrong, a mistake, but you can’t question [the integrity of the officials], so I will not do that.
“It’s not good for the game. We should respect [referees] and this is no respect.”
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
