Nottingham Forest Demand Audio Transcript of Contentious VAR Decisions
Nottingham Forest have formally submitted a request to the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to release the audio recordings of the VAR decisions made during their 2-0 loss to Everton on Sunday. The club has alleged that VAR official Stuart Attwell may have been biased against them due to his support for Luton Town, a rival club.
The club’s incendiary statement on social media claimed that three key incidents in the match – a challenge on Giovanni Reyna, a handball by Ashley Young, and another challenge on Callum Hudson-Odoi – should have resulted in penalties in Forest’s favor. They believe that Attwell’s alleged bias influenced these decisions.
The Football Association (FA) has since launched an investigation into the club’s statement, which questioned the integrity of an official. Meanwhile, Forest is seeking the audio transcripts in the same manner Liverpool did after a controversial defeat to Tottenham in September. In that case, the PGMOL admitted to a “significant human error” in overturning a goal for offside, and the audio dialogue between Stockley Park and on-field officials was released publicly.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, who now serves as Nottingham Forest’s “match and performance analyst,” labeled the officiating team’s decisions as “mind-boggling” in his column for Mail Sport. However, pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher condemned Forest’s statement, likening it to the opinions of a fan in a pub.
“If words go out in which question the integrity of a referee and claims someone is a cheat for supporting another club, then he’s supporting what is being said,” said Neville. “He would lose all credibility with referees in the game.”
Carragher echoed Neville’s sentiments, saying that the statement was “embarrassing” and that it showed the club was “trashing their legacy.”
Attwell has been contacted for comment through the PGMOL. Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo also criticized the match officials after the game, claiming that similar questionable decisions had gone against his side “so many times.”
“I don’t understand the reason for the decisions of Anthony Taylor and VAR because I see the images,” he said. “But this is a general feeling that’s been with us, we are trying to ignore it and so many times it’s repeating bad decisions against us, not giving us (things), even taking things from us, it’s very difficult to control.”
The outcome of the FA’s investigation and the release of the audio transcripts remain to be seen. This incident highlights the ongoing debate about the use of VAR in football and the importance of ensuring impartial and accurate officiating.
