Nottingham Forest will submit a formal complaint to PGMOL, the body responsible for referees in English football, about the officiating in their Premier League defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday.
Forest are unhappy about some of the decisions made in their 3-2 loss at the City Ground. The home side were on the receiving end of what they feel to be multiple mistakes by referee Robert Jones and his officiating team. Michael Salisbury was the video assistant referee (VAR), while Scott Ledger was on duty as assistant VAR.
Defender Willy Boly was dismissed in controversial circumstances after he received a second yellow card on 23 minutes for what appeared to be a clean challenge on Bournemouth’s Adam Smith.
It is the second time Forest have launched a complaint against Jones to PGMOL this season, after they did so following their 3-2 defeat at Manchester United in September.
Boly’s dismissal was after a second caution but VAR could not review the incident unless it was a straight red card offence.
Speaking post-match, Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo argued that VAR should be allowed to intervene on second yellow cards.
He said: “It’s a frustration of knowing the approach of the referees is a bad one, and the law says because it’s two yellows you can’t reverse the decision.
“That’s something they have to look at, because it doesn’t make sense.
“First of all, it’s the approach of the referee, that’s bad. Boly’s first yellow is fair, but it’s then a follow-through with the boot under the foot of the Bournemouth player – the approach should be more cautious, wait a little bit with the help of VAR, hold the decision and they will tell you.
“I think we, as Forest and our fans, especially our fans, deserve better decisions. They come here to see football and suddenly they see something which really changes the game, and the frustration is huge. We are all upset with this.”
Nuno confirmed that he did go to talk to Jones afterwards.
“I asked our analysts for images of the red card and I have watched it over and over again. Referees have a tough job. But I cannot understand it. I cannot understand what he saw,” he added.
“I went to speak to the referee. But what do I say? Yeah I went in, but what can I say, what can we do. You have to respect them and try to support them. It is a mistake, a huge mistake.”
The result leaves Forest 17th in the Premier League, while Bournemouth are 12th and unbeaten in their last six matches.
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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.
