Nottingham Forest is considering legal action against Sky Sports over comments made by pundit Gary Neville, who slammed the club for their statement criticizing the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) following their 2-0 defeat to Everton.
In response to Forest’s statement, which questioned the integrity of referee Anthony Taylor and VAR official Stuart Attwell, Neville likened it to a “mafia-gang statement” and accused the club of inferring cheating. The club has since requested that the PGMOL release the audio of the three penalty incidents that were not given in their favor.
Mark Clattenburg, Forest’s referee analyst, reportedly expressed concerns about VAR Attwell’s status as a Luton fan to PGMOL chief Howard Webb. However, Webb denied a request to change the VAR official, leading Forest to air their grievances publicly.
The club has also submitted a formal request to the PGMOL to release the audio recordings between officials during the match against Everton. The statement read: “Nottingham Forest has today submitted a formal request to the PGMOL to release into the public domain the audio recordings between officials during yesterday’s match against Everton at Goodison Park.”
The club has requested this be shared for three key match incidents – 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 firmly advocate for the broader football community and supporters to have access to the audio and transcript for full transparency, ensuring the integrity of our sport is upheld.”
Nottingham Forest’s actions could lead to a fine from the Football Association (FA), as both the organization and the Premier League are investigating the matter. A Premier League statement read: “It is never appropriate to improperly question the integrity of match officials, and the nature of these comments means the Premier League will also be investigating the matter in relation to the League’s Rules
