After Forest’s 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park, the club issued an extraordinary statement expressing their dissatisfaction with the match officials. They claimed to have informed the referees’ body, PGMOL, that the appointed referee, Attwell, was a Luton fan prior to the game. The statement also highlighted three penalty appeals that were turned down, stating that they could not accept these decisions, and that their patience had been tested multiple times.

The club indicated that they were considering their options moving forward. Forest’s referee analyst, Mark Clattenburg, reportedly contacted PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer, Howard Webb, before the match to suggest that Nuno Espirito Santo might be asked about Attwell’s appointment. However, it was clarified that Forest did not request a change in the referee’s appointment or express any problem with it.

PA News Agency attempted to reach out to Forest for comment, but the club’s response is not included in the text. The club’s frustration stemmed from the lack of penalty calls for challenges on Giovanni Reyna and Callum Hudson-Odoi, as well as an uncalled handball by Ashley Young, all of which were supported by Attwell’s on-field decisions. Forest’s social media post reflected their disappointment with the decisions and expressed their intent to consider their options moving forward.

Subsequently, Clattenburg shared his perspective in a Daily Mail column, criticizing the refereeing decisions and the implications for the relegation race. He mentioned the club’s prior warning to PGMOL about the referee’s allegiance and suggested that smarter appointments could have avoided the situation. Clattenburg also emphasized that referees do not make mistakes deliberately, but expressed astonishment at the decisions made in the game.

The text also briefly mentioned a previous incident where the club was fined for failing to control their players, along with a touchline ban for their first-team coach.