Independent Key Match Incidents Panel of the Premier League has determined that out of three incidents Nottingham Forest raised concerns about after their contentious 2-0 loss to Everton on April 21, only one was deemed a VAR error.
Forest expressed dissatisfaction with several penalty decisions that went against them, raising doubts about the integrity of VAR referee Stuart Attwell, who supports Luton Town—a team then embroiled in a relegation battle with Forest and Everton.
“Three extremely poor decisions — three penalties not given — which we simply cannot accept,” the club wrote on Twitter. “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.”
The Football Association (FA) is currently investigating a tweet by Forest, along with comments made by manager Nuno Espirito Santo and defender Neco Williams.
Additionally, former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, now employed by Forest as a consultant, has been asked to clarify statements made in a newspaper article regarding officiating.
However, according to the panel’s findings, which have been reviewed by ESPN, it was unanimously determined that a penalty claim for a foul by Ashley Young on Giovanni Reyna, as well as a subsequent handball by Young, were unfounded and should not have prompted VAR intervention.
Nevertheless, the panel did unanimously agree that Young should have been penalized with a spot kick for bringing down Callum Hudson-Odoi inside the penalty area during the second half.
The panel had a split 3-2 vote regarding referee Anthony Taylor’s decision not to award a handball against Young in the 44th minute, but unanimously voted 5-0 against a VAR intervention.
It was deemed “a very subjective call,” with Young’s arm outstretched and blocking a cross from close proximity, though his arm position was deemed justifiable.
However, in the case of the foul on Hudson-Odoi in the 55th minute, it was concluded that “Young inherited the risk by going to ground from the wrong side, and Hudson-Odoi beat him to the ball. It is a foul.”
Comprising three former players and/or coaches, along with one representative each from the Premier League and PGMOL, the panel was established at the beginning of last season to provide an independent assessment of decision-making, aiming to offer an impartial evaluation of major match incidents without relying solely on the views of PGMOL or the clubs themselves.