March 11 – High-flying Premier League club Nottingham Forest have failed in their appeal against a £750,000 fine imposed for a social media post last season that took aim at a match official.
Forest have also been ordered to take down the post, which was published last April after a 2-0 defeat to Everton, when they were denied three clear penalties.
Forest said they had “warned” referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that Stuart Attwell, who was the video assistant referee for the match, was a fan of their relegation rivals at the time, Luton Town, adding: “Our patience has been tested multiple times.”
They escaped relegation last season, while Luton eventually went down to the Championship. This season Forest are third in the Premier League and challenging for a Champions League place.
A regulatory commission issued a £750,000 fine in October, with Forest immediately indicating their intention to appeal, arguing the punishment was disproportionate.
The English Football Association described the post as an “egregious, direct and public attack” on Attwell and an attack on referees in general “on an unparallelled scale”.
The FA has now confirmed that an appeal board has upheld the original sanctions.
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