By admin Nottingham Forest fought vigorously to gain access to the VAR audio recordings from their contentious match against Everton, which they lost 2-0. The club, deeply displeased with the officiating during the game, issued strong statements condemning the refereeing decisions and the use of VAR. In particular, Forest criticized the appointment of Stuart Attwell, a known supporter of Luton Town, as the VAR official for a match with significant implications for Luton’s relegation battle.
Following their initial outcry, Nottingham Forest persisted in their demands by calling for the release of the audio exchanges between the match referees and VAR officials. Ultimately, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) agreed to allow Forest to listen to the VAR discussions related to the penalty decisions. However, the recordings will not be made public until the following week at the earliest.
Nottingham Forest’s outspokenness on the matter garnered attention within the football community, prompting discussions about their handling of the situation. Despite their claims about Attwell’s bias and calls for his removal from VAR duty, it was later revealed that Mark Clattenburg, a former referee now working for Forest as a match and performance analyst, did not formally request Attwell’s removal in a pre-match phone call with PGMOL chief Howard Webb.
The club, currently struggling in 17th place and teetering just one point above the relegation zone, faced additional challenges earlier in the season due to breaches of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations. Their appeal hearing regarding these breaches coincided with the unfolding events surrounding the VAR controversy.