Stuart Attwell, the VAR official who was at the center of the recent controversy surrounding Nottingham Forest, found himself embroiled in further VAR-related drama during Wednesday night’s Premier League clash between Wolves and Bournemouth at Molineux.
Attwell, who was the on-field official for the match, made a number of contentious decisions in the first half that angered the home supporters. These decisions contributed to Wolves falling behind to a goal from Antoine Semenyo.
However, in the 65th minute, Wolves thought they had found a way back into the game when Nelson Semedo crossed for Hwang Hee-chan to power home a header. After a lengthy VAR check, Attwell was advised to check the pitchside monitor for a potential handball by Matheus Cunha. Attwell decided that there was not enough evidence to rule out the goal, sparking another outburst of rage from the Molineux crowd.
In a similar incident to the one involving Nottingham Forest, the Cherries were also left frustrated by Attwell’s decision to give Milos Kerkez a straight red card for a high tackle on Matt Doherty. Again, there was a lengthy VAR check, but on this occasion, it was decided that the original decision would stand.
The FA has already opened an investigation into Forest’s comments regarding Attwell after their social media statement made minutes after the final whistle. In response, the Premier League said: “The Premier League was extremely disappointed to read the comments made by Nottingham Forest on social media yesterday, following its match against Everton. We note that the FA has confirmed it will be investigating the club’s statement. 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.”
