Mark Clattenburg speaks out on Nottingham Forest fury as Gary Neville urges him to resign
Nottingham Forest were left furious after three penalty decisions went against them in their match against Everton. Mark Clattenburg, a refereeing consultant for Forest, criticized the decisions and described them as “a joke.” In a crucial relegation showdown, Forest suffered a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park, leaving them just one point above the bottom three. Their frustration was heightened as referee Anthony Taylor and VAR dismissed three penalty claims.
Forest expressed their displeasure in a social media statement, criticizing the match officials and alleging that the VAR official was a fan of one of their direct competitors, Luton Town. Clattenburg highlighted the non-intervention of VAR as a significant issue, stating that the lack of corrective action from video technology was a gross injustice for Forest. The decisions particularly affected Ashley Young, and Clattenburg emphasized the failure to utilize the VAR monitor for a closer review. The suggestion by Forest that the influence of a Luton fan impacted the decisions received backlash, with criticism from figures like Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville.
However, Clattenburg defended Forest’s stance, insisting that the controversy could have been avoided with smarter referee appointments made by the league. He expressed that while referees do not intentionally make mistakes, the situation was perplexing and could have been prevented with more thoughtful decisions by the PGMOL, the referees’ governing body.
