Nottingham Forest are reportedly considering taking legal action against Sky Sports after comments made by pundit Gary Neville. The club have been left unhappy with being compared to a ‘mafia gang’ following the statement they made in the aftermath of their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Everton over the weekend.
Related articles
Forest were denied three penalty shouts by VAR, with Ashley Young the player accused of fouls in the trio of controversial incidents. However, referee Anthony Taylor did not point to the spot on any of the occasions, with VAR Stuart Attwell agreeing with the on-field decisions.
Goals from Idrissa Gana Gueye and Dwight McNeil therefore proved decisive, prompting Forest to make a bold post-match statement on social media. They wrote: “Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we cannot accept.
“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 statement was read out during Sky Sports’ coverage, prompting Neville to make a comment which has left the higher powers at the City Ground unhappy.
Watch all the Premier League and Champions League drama unfold on TNT Sports
Nottingham Forest has today submitted a formal request to the PGMOL to release into the public domain the audio recordings between officials during yesterday’s match against Everton at Goodison Park.
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) April 22, 2024
The club has requested this be shared for three key match incidents - Ashley…
He said: “It’s like a mafia-gang statement. I mean, honestly, what the hell are they playing at? It’s like a petulant child, it’s embarrassing. And some of those things they’re saying in there, the suggestion of some sort of inferring of cheating because there’s an official in VAR in Stockley Park who’s a Luton fan is a scandal, and they will pay for that.”
According to the Daily Mail, Forest are considering legal action against Sky Sports due to the remarks made by Neville. Nuno Espirito’s side’s legal team are now writing a letter which will be sent to the broadcasters.
Forest have since made a second statement calling for the Premier League to release the audio footage from the match so that they can understand the decision-making process behind each call. They are also calling for new rules to prevent officials from being involved in any matches that have implications for the club that they support.
It is claimed that ex-referee Mark Clattenburg, who works with Forest, had spoken with PGMOL boss Howard Webb on Friday to call for supposed Luton Town fan Atwell to be removed from his duties for the match whilst in the heart of a relegation battle.
