What has been regarded as an "unprecedented attack" on the integrity of a match official, Nottingham Forest has been today fined a record £750,000 by the FA after a controversial social media post last season accused VAR Stuart Attwell of bias in a crucial Premier League match against Everton. According to reports on social media platform X where the post was published, Attwell is accused of making inflammatory comments, saying that he supports relegation rival Luton Town.
Attwell's post is coming after Forest got defeated 2-0 by Everton on April 21, leaving the club perilously close to relegation. Forest was left fuming after three penalty appeals were turned down during the game, one of which was an unambiguously dubious handball occasioned against Everton's Ashley Young. Foremost on the social media team's agenda in the aftermath of the match were attacks on Attwell for making decisions to reflect Luton Town's interests.
The FA responded with a sharply indignant response, terming it "an attack on the integrity of a match official on an unprecedented scale." The governing body made much of the fact that this undermined respect for referees and might well have the finality of permanently damaging the reputation of the game. The FA said in their ruling that match officials are under enormous pressure and cannot be subjected to public accusations of bias or dishonesty, especially from professional clubs.
While Nottingham Forest claimed it did not intend to tarnish the reputation of Attwell nor that of the team of officials, an independent commission branded the attitude of the club reckless and remorseless. The independent commission marked the "stress, distress, fear, and embarrassment" endured by Attwell on account of the malicious accusations hurled against him. Forest might appeal a decision reached by the committee having ruled, petitioning that the size of the fine in the circumstances is disproportionate.
The outcry over the match was by no means over for the social media post. A review later from the Key Match Incident Panel proved that during the game, Nottingham Forest had been denied at least one penalty kick. This, however, made little difference to the severity of the response from the FA. His assertion that Attwell's alleged connection to Luton Town had much to do with his own decisions was most prominently criticized, and the commission tempered that a dangerous precedent might be established about how clubs treat officials.
The club remains defiant with the fine, terming the amount as too harsh. The FA had wanted to fine the club more than £1 million in the first place and this amount had been reduced following their talks. But when it comes to letting the post remain there for far too long and not publicly apologizing, this gave a reason for the severe punishment. Referees chief Howard Webb also reacted by pointing out that such practices might herald a culture of abusing officials.
No less criticism targeted the communications side of the Nottingham Forest team. The commission labeled the actions of the communications as irresponsible and, worse still, as not knowing who among them posted it. After the fine, Forest received a formal warning about their future conduct and was asked to streamline their social media protocols. On the eve of the appeal, this is a sharp reminder that respect for officials on and off the field has to be maintained. Nottingham Forest will find out it will cost them both ways, purse and from their friendship with the governing bodies of football.
