Gary Neville has torn into the statements made by Nottingham Forest criticising the refereeing after their 2-0 loss against Everton.
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Nottingham question referees integrityNeville rips apart Forest's statementClattenburg doubles up on Forest criticismWHAT HAPPENED?
Nottingham Forest released a statement on Sunday night, criticising the refereeing standards of the Premier League and also claiming that Video Assistant Referee, Stuart Atwell should not have been a part of the match due to his bias towards Forest's relegation rivals, Luton Town. During his segment with Sky Sports, Neville claimed that former Premier League referee, Mark Clattenburg, who is now Nottingham's refereeing consultant, must resign in protest of Nottingham's questioning of a referee's integrity. These words were immediately put down by Clattenburg, who further doubled down on Nottingham's complaints against the refereeing in an article with The Daily Mail.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT NEVILLE SAID
Speaking as an expert with Sky Sports, Neville said: "It's like a mafia gang statement, honestly. I mean what are they playing at? Look, I think anybody and everybody would have empathy and some sympathy for Forest this season with some of the decisions that they've had. The statement is like a petulant child. It's embarrassing. But they're grabbing defeat from victory. They could say, 'Why should we sit here and be badly done to and not say anything'. You can potentially come out at the end of the game – and the manager is a great spokesman at the end of the game, so is your captain – and say that we're not accepting the quality of decisions that are going against us, and that would have a real impact.
"Today has been a horrendous day for Nottingham Forest. Possibly horrendous because of the decisions that they've had, but horrendous for how they've reacted to the situation. To mention the VAR official as being a Luton fan and inferring in some way that's had an impact on the decision-making process and suggesting to me as a fan, thinking 'Has he cheated us', you're into really dangerous territory."
On Clattenburg: "Mark Clattenberg must resign tonight. If he saw those words go out in which they question the integrity of a referee and claim someone is a cheat for supporting another club, then he's supporting what is being said. He would lose all credibility with referees in the game. He should stand down tonight and distance himself from that statement."
Getty ImagesWHAT CLATTENBURG SAID
In his exclusive article with The Daily Mail, Clattenburg wrote: "One of these errors would have been bad enough. Three was a joke, and that is why Nottingham Forest were left feeling victimised after another defeat in which zero big decisions went their way. In a season where they have had to endure some egregious refereeing, this trip to Everton was as grim a game as they have encountered since returning to the Premier League.
"These situations were precisely why video technology was brought into the Premier League and yet, Attwell did not send Taylor to his monitor. Not once. It was a hat-trick of howlers from the refereeing team and, unfortunately for Forest, a continuation of an unjust trend that has hampered their survival fight.
"You will have seen the statement released by the club — how the PGMOL were contacted to warn that it was not appropriate for a Luton fan such as Attwell to play such a pivotal role in a massive match that would impact the relegation race.
"Certainly, I would not have risked this situation if I were the head of the referees and all of this could have been avoided had the PGMOL simply made smarter appointments.
"Referees do not make mistakes deliberately but this was mind-boggling to watch. Why Attwell did not send Taylor to his screen, only he will know."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The loss has left Nottingham's future in the Premier League in a lull as they sit in the last place of safety only a point ahead of 18th-placed Luton Town. A win on the night for Forest against Everton would have seen Nuno Espirito Santo's side jump over the Toffees in the rankings.