Nottingham Forest is reportedly upset about what they describe as inadequate refereeing following controversial calls in their past two matches.
The Reds were enraged last season by several VAR calls that went against them, leading them to challenge the integrity of “Luton fan” referee Stuart Attwell during a heated 2-0 loss to Everton.
According to The Telegraph, they are growing more frustrated with referees this season and have now cautioned that inadequate officiating is “ruining the Premier League, harming clubs, and letting down fans.”
Forest’s unbeaten streak in the Premier League this season ended on Saturday when a disputed penalty allowed Fulham to claim a 1-0 win at the City Ground. The club’s spirits were further dampened when VAR rejected two penalty appeals, first for Anthony Elanga and then for Taiwo Awoniyi.
The Telegraph’s John Percy reported: “Evangelos Marinakis, the club’s owner, was at the City Ground on Saturday and is understood to be angered after Forest’s latest brush with referees.”
He then referenced a “senior Forest source” who stated: “The quality of refereeing is undermining the reputation of the Premier League and hurting its clubs. There seems to be a lack of consistency in VAR decision-making.”
“There still isn’t sufficient transparency in the VAR process. It’s the fans who suffer, too. VAR was intended to improve the game for clubs and supporters alike, but it’s failing them at the moment.”
Percy referred to the remarks as a “direct message to Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL),” the organization responsible for managing elite match officials.
The latest controversy follows Morgan Gibbs-White’s sending off for a second yellow card during the 2-2 draw against Brighton, a decision that was later challenged by the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel.
Gibbs-White’s dismissal also led to a red card for Reds manager Nuno Espirito Santo after he protested the call. He was later vindicated when the Key Match Incidents Panel stated that the incident was “below the threshold for a second caution.”
Saturday’s match was officiated by Josh Smith, with John Brooks serving as the VAR official. Nuno later remarked, “When we arrive for the game, we don’t focus on the referee; we just want to compete, play, and trust that the referee will make the right calls.”
Ipswich Town: Leif Davis Seeks His First Premier League Victory
The Blues increased their winning run to four games at this time, which meant matches in the top division, with an exciting 2-2 draw against Champions League contenders Aston Villa yesterday.
In fact, Villa manager Unai Emery acknowledged after the match that Town had the opportunity to win, and the Blues also had chances to secure all three points in their 1-1 draw with Fulham in Suffolk last month.
The Blues have recorded had two defeats and four draws in their first six Premier League games with their next goal being to secure their first win of the season.
“We could’ve had it today,” Davis said after the game. “And then against Fulham as well.
“I think we did deserve something in the game, but who knows? Results can happen anywhere, and we just work hard on ourselves.
“We’re four unbeaten, but they’re not wins. It’s four good points on the board, but there’s more to go, as the manager has said.
“We’ve still got the next step to go in terms of running, wanting to play, being brave playing out from the back like we were last year.
“It’ll all come, we’re taking it game-by-game. We’re just trying to do what we can do for now.”
Davis, who posed a constant threat on the left side throughout the match against Villa, remarked, “I think we’ve got a feel for it now.
“Our start has been very tough; we haven’t had the easiest of starts. No game is going to be easy in the Premier League; every game is going to be a different challenge.
“We took a foothold in the game, and we’ve taken teams to the wire almost every time we’ve played against them.
“Take Liverpool in the first game of the season – we took them to the dark places where they didn’t want to be.
“Today, I think we did the same. We’ve got to keep going, improving every day and every game.”
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