Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has claimed that his club's decision to criticise the PGMOL after the 2-0 defeat to Everton is justified.
In a crucial fixture at the bottom of the Premier League table, Forest succumbed at Goodison Park to goals from Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil.
As a result, Forest remain just one point clear of the relegation zone, as well as watching Everton move four points clear of them in 16th position.
However, within five minutes of the full-time whistle on Merseyside, Forest had released a statement on social media to condemn the decision to appoint Stuart Attwell as VAR official.
Three extremely poor decisions - three penalties not given - which we simply cannot accept.
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) April 21, 2024
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.
What were the "poor decisions" in question?
Forest feel Ashley Young was guilty of three offences in the penalty area, the first being what appeared to be a trip on Giovanni Reyna in the opening 45 minutes.
Before half time, Young handled the ball from a volleyed cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi, only for it to be deemed that the players were standing close enough for it not to be deemed an offence.
After the break, Hudson-Odoi then went to ground in what was a tangle of legs with the veteran wide player, Forest again left frustrated as the referee on-field waved away their appeals.
Should Nottingham Forest have had a penalty for this? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/U13SmkNgHf
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 21, 2024
What did Nuno have to say?
When speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Nuno backed up the club's decision to voice their disappointment, insisting that it is "understandable".
The Portuguese said: "I don't understand the reason and the decision of [referee] Anthony Taylor and VAR Stuart Attwell, because I see the images.
"It is hard to take. There is a penalty on Gio Reyna, it's a kick, don't tell me that is not contact. It's a penalty, then a handball, then the situation of the incident with Callum.
"So it's understandable that we react like this as a club because we want to get things right. We don't want bad referees. We want good decisions. OK if we lost the game today and there were no incidents, we take it."
In August, Forest lodged an official complaint to the PGMOL after they felt that decisions went against them in a loss to Manchester United.
More recently, the on-field referee wrongly gave Liverpool possession of a drop ball in the 96th minute of a game at the City Ground when the score was goalless. Liverpool would score a winning goal two minutes later.
Meanwhile, last month, Forest also made the controversial appointment of Mark Clattenberg - a former Premier League referee - as a referee analyst.
Darren Plant
