Nottingham Forest has been fined £750,000 and issued a warning for misconduct related to a social media post that criticized the referee after their Premier League loss to Everton last season, the Football Association announced on Friday.
Following their 2-0 defeat, in which they were denied three penalty claims, Forest expressed their frustration on social media platform X, alleging that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Stuart Attwell was a fan of Luton Town. At that time, Forest was fighting relegation alongside Luton, who ultimately went down while Forest finished 17th. The club stated they plan to appeal the FA’s decision.
The FA noted, “The club denied that the comments made on social media implied bias, questioned the integrity of match officials, or brought the game into disrepute.” An independent Regulatory Commission upheld the charge and imposed sanctions on the club.
Shortly after the match, Forest posted on X, “Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we simply cannot accept. We warned the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game, but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times. NFFC will now consider its options.”
The FA stated that no other professional club has previously violated its regulations regarding social media use in such a manner, calling it an unprecedented public attack on a match official’s integrity. They added that Forest’s concerns before the match did not constitute a formal request for Attwell to step down.
Forest had requested that the fine be suspended, but the FA denied this appeal. The club expressed concern that the FA sought a penalty “in excess of £1,000,000,” stating, “We believe this request, along with the subsequent fine, is wholly disproportionate, and the club will be appealing the decision.”
