Nottingham Forest were outraged when they were refused three penalties against Everton at Goodison Park, and they questioned the legitimacy of the Premier League’s decision to make Stuart Attwell the VAR for the match.
Howard Webb will confess on Tuesday night that Nottingham Forest should have received a penalty in their loss against Everton.
The Midlands side questioned the Premier League’s ethics after Stuart Attwell was chosen as VAR for the match, pointing out that the official was a Luton Town fan. Forest were enraged when three distinct penalty requests were denied as they suffered a 2-0 defeat.
However, it looks that Webb, the PGMOL’s top refereeing officer, will only admit fault for one of the occurrences. The audio of the exchanges between referee Anthony Taylor and Attwell will be featured on the series “Match Officials Mic’d Up,” with Webb establishing his conclusion during the Monday night recording for the show, which will air on Tuesday evening.
According to ESPN, the Premier League’s Independent Key Match Incidents Panel believes VAR should have been used just when Ashley Young pulled down Callum Hudson-Odoi in the area, not for the same player’s challenge on Giovanni Reyna or the handball claim.
The FA may yet impose a number of sanctions against Forest. In addition to Nuno Espirito Santo and Neco Williams’ statements, the governing authority is examining the club. Mark Clattenburg, Forest’s refereeing consultant, has been requested to explain his comments in a post-match newspaper piece.
The Premier League club’s statement read: “Three really terrible judgments – three penalties not awarded – that we simply cannot accept. We informed the PGMOL before the game that the VAR is a Luton fan, but they did not change him.
“Our patience has been challenged several times. “NFFC will now consider its options.”
Forest’s article, its tone, and the timing of its publishing, immediately following the final whistle at Goodison Park, were heavily attacked.
Alan Shearer led the accusations against Forest’s actions, calling their post a “absolute embarrassment” and asking, “What the f*** were they doing?”
Nonetheless, Clattenburg, writing in the Daily Mail, defended his employers’ position and condemned the judgments made. “One of these errors would have been bad enough,” he told reporters. “Three was a joke, and that is why Nottingham Forest felt victimised after another setback in which no major decisions went their way.
“In a season where they have had to endure some egregious refereeing, this trip to Everton was as grim a game as they have encountered since returning to the Premier League.”
