Nottingham Forest lose appeal against £750,000 FA fine over VAR post

Nottingham Forest’s appeal against a £750,000 fine for a social media post criticising VAR official Stuart Attwell has been rejected.

The Football Association (FA) initially imposed the fine in October, calling Forest’s statement “an attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale.”

Forest’s controversial post on X came after their 2-0 Premier League defeat to Everton on April 21, 2024, where they protested three penalty decisions.

The club alleged that Attwell, who was the VAR for the match, was a fan of relegation rivals Luton and claimed they had warned referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) but were ignored. “Our patience has been tested multiple times,” the post read.

At the time, Forest argued that the fine was “disproportionate,” but on Monday, the FA confirmed that an appeal board had upheld the punishment.

“In our view, a heavy penalty was entirely merited for this very serious offence,” the board stated.

They cited the post’s widespread reach, stating it went “viral” and was seen by millions. “This was predictable and no doubt intended,” the ruling noted. “It was also predictable that it would cause great distress to the match officials and their families.”

Forest’s defeat at Everton had left them just one point ahead of Luton in the relegation battle, though they ultimately finished 17th, six points clear of the drop. Luton were relegated.

This season, Forest currently sit third in the Premier League with 10 matches remaining.