Nottingham Forest said it had submitted a formal request for the publication of conversations between match officials during their 2-0 defeat to Everton on Sunday.
Forest wants audio from three specific incidents released to ensure “the integrity of our sport is respected.”
Forest say they are “standing up for the wider football community” by making their request to Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the organization responsible for refereeing in England.
The club’s City Ground raised concerns over the refereeing of the Everton match with a statement released on X shortly after full-time. “Three extremely bad decisions – three penalties not called – that we simply cannot accept,” Forest said.
“We warned the PGMOL that the VAR was a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change it. Our patience has been tested on several occasions,” they continued, referring to manager Stuart Attwell, before adding that they were “considering their options.”
“Nottingham Forest have today submitted a formal request to the PGMOL to make public the audio recordings between officials during yesterday’s match against Everton at Goodison Park,” a second Forest statement said on Monday.
“The club requested that this be shared for three key incidents in the match: Ashley Young’s challenge on Giovanni Reyna (24th minute), Ashley Young’s handball (44th minute) and Ashley Young’s challenge on Callum Hudson -Odoi (56th minute).
“We strongly advocate for the wider football community and fans to have access to the audio and transcript for full transparency, ensuring the integrity of our sport is upheld.”
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The Premier League has confirmed it is investigating, alongside the Football Association (FA), Forest’s post-match social media post, which remains live on X and has been viewed 41 million times.
A statement read: “The Premier League was extremely disappointed to read the comments made by Nottingham Forest on social media yesterday, following their match against Everton.
“We note that the FA has confirmed that it will investigate the club’s statement. It is never appropriate to unduly question the integrity of match officials, and the nature of these comments means that the Premier League will also investigate on the issue in relation to league rules.
The club, Nuno Espirito Santo, Neco Williams and Mark Clattenburg were also asked for comments by the FA following their criticism of the decisions taken against Everton.
An FA statement read: “We have formally requested comments from Nottingham Forest, Nuno Espirito Santo, Neco Williams and Mark Clattenburg following their comments following their Premier League match against Everton on Sunday April 21. We will provide further updates in due course.
Forest thought they should have been awarded a penalty after 24 minutes when Everton defender Ashley Young appeared to clip Gio Reyna in the penalty area.
The second incident took place just before half-time, after Callum Hudson-Odoi’s volley appeared to hit Young’s outstretched arm.
Hudson-Odoi and Young were both involved in the third incident, with the Everton defender appearing to bring down the Forest winger after 55 minutes.
Forest alleged they raised concerns with the PGMOL that VAR Attwell was a supporter of Luton Town, a team one point and one place below Nottingham Forest in the Premier League’s final relegation spot.
Former Premier League referee Clattenburg, employed by Forest as a match and performance analyst, spoke to PGMOL chief Howard Webb on Friday but, according to PGMOL, did not request that the Attwell’s nomination was changed and said he had no problem with Attwell’s involvement. The club’s only concern was how head coach Nuno should react if asked about the appointment during Friday’s press conference.
PGMOL previously released audio between referees from Tottenham Hotspur’s match against Liverpool earlier this season, in which Luis Diaz’s goal was wrongly disallowed for offside.
Webb also hosts a program called Match Officials Mic’d Up with former striker Michael Owen in which such audio is played and the two men go through controversial refereeing decisions. The next episode is scheduled to air on Tuesday April 30 at 7pm BST.
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