The FA have requested observations from Nottingham Forest, Nuno Espirito, Neco Williams and Mark Clattenburg amid Sunday’s penalty drama.
Forest released a furious statement following their 2-0 defeat to Everton where they were denied three penalties.
However, the nature of the statement shocked many with suggestions made by the club that Stuart Attwell, who was working as VAR for the match, is a fan of relegation rivals Luton Town.
The club, who have since requested the release of VAR audio of the game, will be investigated over the matter and the FA have also requested submissions from their manager Nuno, player Neco Williams and analyst referees Mark Clattenburg.
It is unclear what the request for comments directly relates to in relation to Nuno, Williams and Clattenburg.
The statement read: “We have formally requested comments from Nottingham Forest, Nuno Espirito Santo, Neco Williams and Mark Clattenburg following their comments following their Premier League match against Everton on Sunday April 21.
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“We will provide further updates in due course.”
For its part, the Premier League said: “The Premier League was extremely disappointed to read the comments made by Nottingham Forest on social media yesterday, following their match against Everton.
“We note that the FA has confirmed that it will investigate the club’s statement.
“It is never appropriate to unduly question the integrity of match officials, and the nature of these comments means that the Premier League will also investigate the matter in relation to League rules.”
Moments after the Premier League’s statement, Forest said in a statement: “Following yesterday’s match at Everton, the NFFC issued a statement highlighting our concern over the perception of PGMOL’s appointment of VAR for the match This was an issue we raised with PGMOL before the match due to the fear of the sideshow that would ensue if something went wrong with the refereeing of the match. correctness of three important decisions against the club has been questioned.
“This is not about individuals but rather how the integrity of the game is perceived. We know that match officials do not allow outside factors to influence their decision-making and that all Referees are required to declare their “allegiance” to PGMOL to avoid any perceived conflict or damage to the reputation of the integrity of the game.
“However, it is clear that PGMOL must modify its rule on allegiances to account for contextual rivalries in the rankings, not just local rivalries.
“This is currently not part of the criteria, but it should be. Simply relying on match officials to recuse themselves if there are contextual rivalries invites conjecture, as some have recused themselves where d Others have not done so.
“The NFCC maintains its demand for greater transparency around PGMOL appointments to further protect the reputation of the game, as provided for in PGMOL’s current approach to allegiance.
“Given the widespread and ongoing concerns, not only from this club’s fans, players and managers, but also from many others and experts, regarding VAR decisions throughout this season, any measure that would boost confidence in the system should be given due consideration.”
Forest were left furious after being denied three penalties they felt they deserved at Goodison Park, with Ashley Young escaping punishment following collisions with Gio Reyna and Callum Hudson-Odoi in the Everton box either side of half-time.
Young was also spared punishment just before half-time when the ball struck his outstretched arm in the Everton box.
The Toffees won the crucial relegation clash 2-0 with goals from Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil giving them all three points.
Forest’s statement which sparked the investigation and the Premier League’s response, released moments after the match ended, read: “Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not called – which we simply cannot accept.
“We warned the PGMOL that the VAR was a Luton fan before the match but they did not change it. Our patience was tested on several occasions. The NFFC will now consider their options.”
And in requesting the release of the VAR audio on Monday, Forest said: “Nottingham Forest have today submitted a formal request to the PGMOL to make public the audio recordings between officials during yesterday’s match against Everton at Goodison Park .
“The club requested that this be shared for three key incidents in the match: Ashley Young’s challenge on Giovanni Reyna (24th minute), Ashley Young’s handball (44th minute) and Ashley Young’s challenge on Callum Hudson -Odoi (56th minute).
“We strongly advocate for the wider football community and fans to have access to the audio and transcript for full transparency, ensuring the integrity of our sport is upheld.”
The result leaves Everton five points clear of the relegation zone, while Forest are just one point above 18th-placed Luton.
The FA have requested observations from Nottingham Forest, Nuno Espirito, Neco Williams and Mark Clattenburg amid Sunday’s penalty drama.
Forest released a furious statement following their 2-0 defeat to Everton where they were denied three penalties.
However, the nature of the statement shocked many with suggestions made by the club that Stuart Attwell, who was working as VAR for the match, is a fan of relegation rivals Luton Town.
The club, who have since requested the release of VAR audio of the game, will be investigated over the matter and the FA have also requested submissions from their manager Nuno, player Neco Williams and analyst referees Mark Clattenburg.
It is unclear what the request for comments directly relates to in relation to Nuno, Williams and Clattenburg.
The statement read: “We have formally requested comments from Nottingham Forest, Nuno Espirito Santo, Neco Williams and Mark Clattenburg following their comments following their Premier League match against Everton on Sunday April 21.
LEARN MORE ABOUT NOTTINGHAM FOREST
“We will provide further updates in due course.”
For its part, the Premier League said: “The Premier League was extremely disappointed to read the comments made by Nottingham Forest on social media yesterday, following their match against Everton.
“We note that the FA has confirmed that it will investigate the club’s statement.
“It is never appropriate to unduly question the integrity of match officials, and the nature of these comments means that the Premier League will also investigate the matter in relation to League rules.”
Moments after the Premier League’s statement, Forest said in a statement: “Following yesterday’s match at Everton, the NFFC issued a statement highlighting our concern over the perception of PGMOL’s appointment of VAR for the match This was an issue we raised with PGMOL before the match due to the fear of the sideshow that would ensue if something went wrong with the refereeing of the match. correctness of three important decisions against the club has been questioned.
“This is not about individuals but rather how the integrity of the game is perceived. We know that match officials do not allow outside factors to influence their decision-making and that all Referees are required to declare their “allegiance” to PGMOL to avoid any perceived conflict or damage to the reputation of the integrity of the game.
“However, it is clear that PGMOL must modify its rule on allegiances to account for contextual rivalries in the rankings, not just local rivalries.
“This is currently not part of the criteria, but it should be. Simply relying on match officials to recuse themselves if there are contextual rivalries invites conjecture, as some have recused themselves where d Others have not done so.
“The NFCC maintains its demand for greater transparency around PGMOL appointments to further protect the reputation of the game, as provided for in PGMOL’s current approach to allegiance.
“Given the widespread and ongoing concerns, not only from this club’s fans, players and managers, but also from many others and experts, regarding VAR decisions throughout this season, any measure that would boost confidence in the system should be given due consideration.”
Forest were left furious after being denied three penalties they felt they deserved at Goodison Park, with Ashley Young escaping punishment following collisions with Gio Reyna and Callum Hudson-Odoi in the Everton box either side of half-time.
Young was also spared punishment just before half-time when the ball struck his outstretched arm in the Everton box.
The Toffees won the crucial relegation clash 2-0 with goals from Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil giving them all three points.
Forest’s statement which sparked the investigation and the Premier League’s response, released moments after the match ended, read: “Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not called – which we simply cannot accept.
“We warned the PGMOL that the VAR was a Luton fan before the match but they did not change it. Our patience was tested on several occasions. The NFFC will now consider their options.”
And in requesting the release of the VAR audio on Monday, Forest said: “Nottingham Forest have today submitted a formal request to the PGMOL to make public the audio recordings between officials during yesterday’s match against Everton at Goodison Park .
“The club requested that this be shared for three key incidents in the match: Ashley Young’s challenge on Giovanni Reyna (24th minute), Ashley Young’s handball (44th minute) and Ashley Young’s challenge on Callum Hudson -Odoi (56th minute).
“We strongly advocate for the wider football community and fans to have access to the audio and transcript for full transparency, ensuring the integrity of our sport is upheld.”
The result leaves Everton five points clear of the relegation zone, while Forest are just one point above 18th-placed Luton.