Nuno feels vindicated after Forest's VAR anger
One of the penalties Forest wanted was for a handball by Ashley Young
- Published
Nuno Espirito Santo says he and Nottingham Forest feel vindicated after their furious complaints following the controversial defeat at Everton.
Forest had three penalty claims rejected in the 2-0 defeat, although the Key Match Incidents Panel and referees’ chief Howard Webb have confirmed one of the decisions was wrong.
The club posted an angry statement on X - seen over 45m times - minutes after the final whistle last month claiming they told referees body the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that the game's video assistant referee (VAR) Stuart Attwell was allegedly a fan of relegation rivals Luton.
Nuno also said the officials had "bad" games and confirmed he has responded to the Football Association’s request for observations after his post-match comments.
The FA asked for observations from defender Neco Williams and the club’s referee analyst Mark Clattenburg as well, but with Webb admitting one of the decisions - Ashley Young’s tackle on Callum Hudson-Odoi - should have been a penalty, Nuno believes their protests were justified.
“It’s nice when you have someone, an expert, saying they [the referees) got it wrong and what you said and saw was right," said Nuno, speaking before Saturday’s trip to Sheffield United with Forest a point above the relegation zone.
"It makes you feel more comfortable but it doesn’t give you back what happened.”
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Nuno insisted he "still believes" all three decisions should have resulted in spot-kicks.
He added: "The PGMOL clearly said the third one was a penalty but unfortunately they [the officials on the day] got it wrong. It’s happened before when the panel has decided and said it was the other way round. We cannot be bothered by that.
“I always try to be respectful, I try to understand how hard the work of the referee is but this year it’s difficult. There are too many situations happening. I felt it was impossible to control the emotions and that’s why I’ve become so vocal.”
Nuno is now hoping to avoid a ban after submitting his response to the FA.
He said: “I read it, I agreed and I signed it. We are still waiting. Hopefully I don’t get punished and I can be on the touchline.”
Forest are expected to be charged by the FA and the Premier League for their outburst after the loss.
This week it was revealed the Key Match Incident Panel unanimously agreed Forest should have been given a penalty when Young brought down Hudson-Odoi in the 55th minute of their match at Goodison Park on 21 April.
The club called for the audio between video assistant referee Attwell and on-field official Anthony Taylor to be released publicly, with the PGMOL giving them the chance to listen to it privately.
Speaking on the Sky Sports' Mic'd Up programme on Tuesday, Webb said he would have welcomed a VAR intervention over the Young tackle.
However the panel did back the officials on two of the incidents.
Penalty appeal wait 'a mess'
Nuno has also called on Forest’s situation in the league to be resolved as they continue to wait for their appeal verdict.
They are yet to hear if their appeal against a four-point penalty for breaching profit and sustainability rules has been successful.
It was held last Wednesday in front of an independent commission, meaning the Premier League does not have control of the timescale.
Unlike the independent commission which heard Forest’s initial case, there is no seven-day timeframe for it to be resolved, but it will be finalised before the end of the season.
“It’s a mess. They had time enough. It’s a mess,” said Nuno, who has previously described the situation in similar terms. “It’s very difficult not only for us but for the league. It’s very hard to be in this situation.
“We’ve been dealing with this situation for a while, we have been expecting it to come sooner so we know exactly how many points we have. Do we have 30, 29, 28, 27? We need it as fast as possible.”