Referee chief Howard Webb will hold peace talks with Nottingham Forest this week after furious statement over explosive decisions and Stuart Attwell… with VAR audio to be played during the meeting.
- Webb to meet Evangelos Marinakis or minority shareholder Sokratis Kominakis
- Nuno Espirito Santo could also be present following the controversy against Everton
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Referee chief Howard Webb will hold peace talks with Nottingham Forest owners this week, during which VAR audio of their three penalty appeals during Sunday’s controversial defeat at Everton will be broadcast to the club.
Forest requested access to referee Anthony Taylor’s conversations with VAR Stuart Atwell earlier this week after criticizing the latter’s appointment for the match at Goodison Park on the grounds that he is a “Luton fan”, the PGMOL arbitration body being happy to oblige.
PGMOL’s protocol is to make VAR audio available to any club that requests it, with Webb planning to play the recordings to Forest in an online meeting this week ahead of their next match against Manchester City on Sunday.
Webb will also speak with one of Forest’s owners Evangelos Marinakis or minority shareholder Sokratis Kominakis, while, depending on the team’s training schedule, manager Nuno Espirito Santo could also be present.
Forest also requested that the audio of the penalty calls be made public, as PGMOL did last October after Liverpool’s defeat to Tottenham when VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook failed to overturning an offside decision because they wrongly thought Luis Diaz’s goal had been awarded.
Referee chief Howard Webb will hold peace talks with Nottingham Forest owners this week.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was furious his team were denied three penalties at Everton
Nottingham Forest should also receive PGMOL audio from Sunday’s VAR
PGMOL will not do the same on this occasion, but as Mail Sport revealed yesterday, one of the incidents is likely to be featured on next week’s Match Officials: Mic’d Up programme, in which Webb and Michael Owen analyze recent refereeing decisions in the Premier League.
Forest, Santo, Neco Williams and the club’s refereeing consultant Mark Clattenburg have all been questioned by the FA and could be charged with misconduct for questioning Atwell’s integrity.
Although PGMOL is unhappy with Forest’s conduct, Webb’s willingness to meet with the club indicates his desire to resolve the matter amicably and put an end to the controversy.
