Nuno Espirito Santo has given a stunning response to Nottingham Forest’s dramatic statement following their defeat to Everton.
Nuno admitted to talkSPORT that he knew Forest had questioned the appointment of Stuart Attwell, the VAR for their controversial 2-0 defeat, before kick-off.
5
The ‘Tricky Trees’ saw three penalty appeals at Goodison Park turned down by on-field official Anthony Taylor, with his decisions endorsed by Attwell at Stockley Park.
After the match, Forest released a statement saying they were “considering their options” in the face of “extremely poor” refereeing decisions.
The club also revealed it had warned PGMOL against bias by accusing Attwell of being a Luton Town fan, with the Hatters just one point behind Forest in the relegation zone.
In a post-match interview with talkSPORT, Nuno said: “I can explain my position, I was aware of this complaint.
“It is a formal complaint. Each club has the right to do so if it feels uncomfortable. The PGMOL decides otherwise.
“If Stuart Attwell is not a Luton fan, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter at the end of the day. It doesn’t matter. He’s there to do his thing. work.
“Starting with Anthony Taylor today, he did a bad job and VAR did a bad job because the decisions are bad.
“I tell you, after you lose a game, everyone will say: ‘Okay, look at the manager, look, he’s making excuses’ – No, it’s not an excuse, it’s reality.
5
“We don’t know what can happen with this decision but they are bad decisions – they are penalties and the VAR should help the referee. I have seen it.”
Forest’s statement was their latest act of grievance against VAR and officials’ decisions throughout the season.
Forest complained about referee Attwell and his fellow officials during their 3-2 defeat to Manchester United in August.
Willy Boly’s sending off against Bournemouth in December saw PGMOL chief Howard Webb confirm an error had been made.
Forest also wrote a letter of complaint to the Premier League after Ivan Toney’s controversial free-kick goal on his return from his betting violation ban in Brentford’s 3-2 win earlier this year.
The Midlands side have even hired former Premier League manager Mark Clattenburg as a referee analyst to offer advice on specific matters while acting as an expert intermediary between them and the PGMOL.
5
5
Forest boss Nuno has admitted he understands the club’s frustrations after a series of continued decisions since his arrival.
The former Tottenham manager referred to Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis who stormed the pitch at the end of the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Forest were unhappy to have lost possession in added time when play was stopped due to an apparent head injury to Ibrahima Konate – with Darwin Nunez coming close to winning the last-gasp winner.
Nuno added to talkSPORT: “I prefer to talk about other things. I prefer to talk about the need we have in these four games.
“I prefer to talk about the performances and the level of the players, but this has been going on for so long.
“Since my arrival, I have had this feeling of growing and growing so you have to understand the reaction of the club.
5
“We owe that to our fans. 1,000 people or more, 2,000/3,000 people travel. They are on this pitch, they must be respected.
“Referees need to know and assess that they are making bad decisions against us. Decisions that cost us points, not just penalties.
“Don’t forget the last minute, 30 seconds before the end of the match against Liverpool. You know what I mean? So you have to understand that we react like that.”
“Look, if we were in another country, we’d start talking about conspiracy. You know what I mean?”
But when asked to clarify whether there was any suggestion of a plot or anything untoward, Nuno replied: “No, I don’t. No. I don’t talk about that.
“But why always that, and then comes the answer from the final panel which they have a week after having said: ‘No, you were right, you are entitled to a penalty bah, bah, bah’, what’s the point?
“It seems like they are playing with us.”
Sports
&w=390&resize=390,220&ssl=1)
