Nottingham Forest Lose Appeal Over VAR Criticism Fine

Nottingham Forest's appeal against a £750,000 fine for criticizing a VAR on social media has been rejected by the FA. Read the latest on the club's misconduct case and their current season performance.

Nottingham Forest's Appeal Rejected

An independent appeal board has upheld the decision to fine Nottingham Forest £750,000, dismissing the Premier League club's appeal. The fine was imposed by the Football Association (FA) in response to Nottingham Forest's social media posts criticizing a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) during the previous season.

Incident that Sparked the Controversy

The controversy stemmed from a 2-0 loss at Everton in April, where Nottingham Forest felt aggrieved at being denied three penalty claims. In the aftermath of the match, the club posted on social media platform X, alleging that VAR Stuart Attwell was a supporter of Luton Town, a rival club in the relegation battle.

Forest's Denial and Appeal

Despite denying that their social media posts implied bias or questioned the integrity of match officials, Nottingham Forest was fined and issued a warning for misconduct by an independent commission in October. The club subsequently appealed the decision, arguing that the £750,000 fine was “disproportionate.”

The FA has upheld a £750,000 fine for Nottingham Forest following a social media post which questioned the integrity of official Stuart Attwell after the side’s 2-0 Premier League defeat by Everton in April 2024.

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FA's Final Verdict

On Monday, the Football Association (FA) announced that the appeal board had dismissed Nottingham Forest's appeal, upholding both the liability and sanction. Furthermore, the club was ordered to remove the offending social media post.

Forest's Current Season Performance

Nottingham Forest has shown significant improvement this season, currently sitting third in the standings. This is a marked contrast to their previous season, where they narrowly avoided relegation after finishing 17th and being docked four points for breaching the league's financial rules.