- Gary Neville criticized Nottingham Forest’s statement after their defeat against Everton
- Forest claimed the decisions were because the VAR official was a Luton Town fan
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Gary Neville has criticized the “horrendous statement” issued by Nottingham Forest following their 2-0 defeat to Everton.
Forest were hugely frustrated with some of the decisions going against them and claimed that VAR official Stuart Attwell is a Luton Town fan.
After the defeat against Everton, Forest remains in 17th place in the standings, one place and one point ahead of Luton. Everton won thanks to goals from Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil.
Forest felt they should have received three penalties, with Ashley Young being involved in all three incidents.
Young escaped punishment for challenges on Giovanni Reyna and Callum Hudson-Odoi, while it was also claimed he handled the ball in the area but referee Anthony Taylor held on.
Gary Neville criticized Nottingham Forest’s ‘horrendous statement’ after losing to Everton
Forest felt they should have been awarded three penalties in their 2-0 defeat to Everton
In a sensational statement, Forest claimed VAR official Stuart Attwell is a Luton Town fan.
Neville harshly criticized Forest’s statement, saying it “disappoints the proud history of that club”.
Neville said on Sky Sports: “I just want to comment on that statement from Nottingham Forest. It is a horrendous statement from that football club. It disappoints the proud history of that club, and the deception inferred, which suggests the official is a Luton fan Town, it’s absolutely ridiculous.
Forest wrote on
“We notified the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the match but they did not change it. Our patience has been tested several times.
“The NFFC will now consider its options.”
Neville’s comments echoed those of pundit Jamie Carragher, who called the statement “disgraceful”.
Carragher said: “It tells you where we are now in the Premier League, with the clubs.” Stuart Attwell and Anthony Taylor have had a horrible, horrible day today, and they should rightly be criticized for it. This could have real implications for Nottingham Forest. I understand the frustrations.’
‘But that, what I just read on social media, is like a fan in a pub. This is embarrassing for Nottingham Forest. I understand the frustrations, but is that rubbish about VAR a Luton fan? You can’t get involved in that. You have to show a bit of class if you are a football club. I understand it, the frustration, the officials have had a terrible, terrible day. But you can’t get involved in that. Has no sense!’.
Jamie Carragher compared Forest’s statement to what a fan would say in the pub.
Forestry director Nuno Espirito Santo harshly criticized the refereeing decisions after the match
After the match, Forest coach Nuno Espirito Santo harshly criticized the refereeing.
He said: ‘I don’t understand the reason for Anthony Taylor and VAR’s decisions because I see the images.
“But this is a general feeling that has been with us, we are trying to ignore it and many times it repeats bad decisions against us, it does not mock us.
‘Even taking things away from us, it’s very difficult to control. The players and I try to focus on football because it has been very hard.
‘The situation we are in does not help, now we have some stress and fear but it is not an excuse. It has become clear what is happening to us, not only in this game.
‘I have seen the images. It’s hard to accept. It’s a pen on Gio Reyna, it’s a kick, it’s a hand and it is understandable that we are proactive as a club because we want things to be good.
‘We don’t want bad referees, we want good decisions. “If we lose because of a bad performance, we accept it, but the decisions are disappointing.”