An English Premier League referee has reportedly been kept away from Nottingham Forest matches for the past two years.
While it may sound overly simplistic, a fundamental expectation of any referee is that they operate independently and without bias or influence. Removing officials from certain fixtures risks setting a precedent that could gradually erode that principle.
That said, there are established practices in place. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), which oversees refereeing in England, routinely considers officials’ personal affiliations when assigning matches. For example, long-serving referee Kevin Friend, a Bristol City supporter, was never appointed to his club’s games, and also avoided Leicester City fixtures due to his local ties.
Such precautions are generally viewed as sensible safeguards against perceived conflicts of interest. However, reporting by The Athletic’s Danny Taylor has revealed that Stuart Attwell—one of PGMOL’s senior referees and famously involved in the 2008 “ghost goal” incident at Watford—has been deliberately kept away from all Nottingham Forest matches for an extended period following an incident two years ago.
In April 2024, Attwell served as VAR during Forest’s Premier League defeat to Everton at Goodison Park. With Forest battling relegation, several penalty decisions going against them led the club to post a controversial social media message suggesting Attwell was a Luton Town supporter. At the time, Luton were also involved in the relegation fight.
The Football Association responded with disciplinary action, accusing Forest of an “attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale.” The club later deleted the post and was fined £750,000—a record sanction for a social media-related offence.
Since that incident, Attwell—who is FIFA-listed and was once the Premier League’s youngest referee at age 25—has not been appointed to any Forest match in any capacity, including referee, VAR, or fourth official. This appears to be a deliberate policy by PGMOL to prevent further tension between the official and the club.
There is no suggestion that Nottingham Forest requested his removal, and it remains unclear whether the decision came solely from PGMOL or involved input from Attwell himself. Notably, he was originally scheduled to be fourth official for Forest’s FA Cup tie against Wrexham but was later replaced without explanation from PGMOL.
The organisation has a history of avoiding contentious pairings between officials and clubs following high-profile disputes, such as Mark Clattenburg being kept away from Everton fixtures after the heated 2007 Merseyside derby.
However, the situation raises broader questions about whether clubs can indirectly influence referee appointments through past reactions, and whether such separation is necessary to preserve fairness—or risks undermining the independence of officials.
