Nottingham Forest have been fined £750,000 by the Football Association (FA) following comments made on social media aimed at video assistant referee (VAR) Stuart Attwell, Soccernet.football reports.
The incident occurred after their 2-0 loss to Everton on April 21, 2023, a critical period when both teams were battling to avoid relegation.
The FA confirmed the hefty fine on Friday, adding that Forest had also received a formal warning for misconduct, as per the Express.
The controversial post, made on Forest’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, expressed frustration with the officiating decisions during the match.
The post read, “Three extremely poor decisions — three penalties not given — which we simply cannot accept.” Forest also implied bias by stating, “We warned the PGMOL that the VAR (Attwell) 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’s statement outlined that the club had denied any wrongdoing, arguing that their comments did not imply bias or question the integrity of the match officials.
However, an independent regulatory commission found the charge proven, citing a breach of FA Rule E3.1, which relates to “improper conduct in that they imply bias and/or question the integrity of the Match Official[s] and/or the Video Assistant Referee and/or bring the game into disrepute.”
Despite Forest’s defence, the FA determined that the post had crossed the line, imposing the fine and issuing the warning.
The club’s dissatisfaction with the officiating, particularly the decisions involving three potential penalties, sparked a discussion about VAR’s role and impartiality, but their comments ultimately landed them in trouble with the governing body.