Nottingham Forest have been hit with a £750,000 ($979,526) fine for a social media post last season aimed at video assistant referee Stuart Attwell, the English Football Association (FA) confirmed on Friday.
The post followed their 2-0 defeat to Everton on April 21, a time when both teams were embroiled in a relegation scrap. Luton were also involved in attempting to battle the drop, and Forest questioned Attwell’s impartiality on the social media post.
“Three extremely poor decisions — three penalties not given — which we simply cannot accept,” Forest said on their official X account. “We warned the PGMOL 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.”
A statement from the FA said Forest had also been warned “for misconduct in relation to comments posted on social media” alongside the fine.
The statement added: “The club denied that the comments posted on social media imply bias and/or question the integrity of the match officials and/or the video assistant referee and/or bring the game into disrepute.
“An independent regulatory commission found the charge to be proven following a hearing and imposed the club’s sanctions.”
The charge relates to a breach of FA Rule E3.1, with Forest’s social media post guilty of constituting “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.”
