Following Nottingham Forest’s recent 2-0 defeat to Everton, the club took to social media to express discontent over Stuart Atwell’s appointment as Video Assistant Referee for the match, citing his alleged affiliation with Luton Town. Nottingham Forest had three penalty appeals rejected by VAR during the game, prompting their remarks. Sky Sports pundit and former Manchester United star Gary Neville strongly criticized the club’s ‘mafia-gang statement’ during Sky’s post-match broadcast.
Neville commented, “It’s like a mafia gang statement, honestly. I mean what are they playing at? Look, I think anybody and everybody would have empathy and some sympathy for Forest this season with some of the decisions that they’ve had. The statement is like a petulant child. It’s embarrassing. But they’re grabbing defeat from victory. They could say, ‘Why should we sit here and be badly done to and not say anything’. You can potentially come out at the end of the game – and the manager is a great spokesman at the end of the game, so is your captain – and say that we’re not accepting the quality of decisions that are going against us, and that would have a real impact.”
He continued, “Today has been a horrendous day for Nottingham Forest. Possibly horrendous because of the decisions that they’ve had, but horrendous for how they’ve reacted to the situation. To mention the VAR official as being a Luton fan and inferring in some way that’s had an impact on the decision-making process and suggesting to me as a fan, thinking ‘Has he cheated us’, you’re into really dangerous territory.”
Regarding Mark Clattenburg, Neville asserted, “Mark Clattenberg must resign tonight. If he saw those words go out in which they question the integrity of a referee and claim someone is a cheat for supporting another club, then he’s supporting what is being said. He would lose all credibility with referees in the game. He should stand down tonight and distance himself from that statement.”
According to The Daily Mail, Nottingham Forest has issued a legal notice to Sky Sports due to Neville’s remarks about Clattenburg, who recently left his role at the club, as suggested by Neville. Sky Sports reportedly removed an article from their website where Neville commented on Clattenburg’s resignation being ‘unsurprising’, following Nottingham’s legal notice.
It’s uncertain whether this legal notice will lead to further legal action against Sky Sports. Nottingham Forest’s next match is against Chelsea on May 11, where they aim to widen the gap between themselves and Luton Town.
Nottingham Forest performance and stats
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest is currently 17th in the Premier League with 29 points.
In the last 36 games, it has won 8 times, drawn 9 times, and lost 19 times. In its last match, Nottingham Forest won 1-3 against Sheffield United.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 45 goals and conceding 63.
Nottingham Forest will play the next match in Premier League against Chelsea on Saturday 11th of May in Nottingham.
