Nottingham Forest have been fined £750,000 by the Football Association (FA) for bringing the game into disrepute after questioning the integrity of match officials following their 2-0 defeat to Everton in April 2024. The club’s complaint centered on VAR official Stuart Attwell, whom they alleged was a Luton Town fan, and this claim was linked to three penalty decisions that Forest believed were wrongly denied during the match.
Forest argued that their concerns about Attwell were raised with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) prior to the fixture, but no changes were made. After the game, the club released a statement on social media expressing their frustration with the officiating and suggesting that the VAR official’s support for Luton Town affected the decisions, given Luton and Forest were both fighting relegation at the time.
However, an independent FA commission found that these public comments implied bias on Attwell’s part and questioned the integrity of the match officials, leading to the charge being proven. The commission ruled that Forest’s social media post, which gained significant attention, was improper and damaged the game’s reputation.
The FA stated that Forest’s approach to airing grievances could have been handled through appropriate channels, such as by contacting the FA’s Integrity Department, rather than publicizing the accusation. While the club later expressed regret, the commission determined that their posts did not constitute a genuine apology but rather a damage-control effort. As a result, Forest was fined and warned for their misconduct.
GET MORE RELATED CONTENT ON SPORTWORDS.CO.UK
Leave a Reply