Sources indicate that the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has no issue providing Forest with the VAR audio recordings, as it would for any club making such a request. However, a decision is pending on whether the audio will feature in next week’s “Match Officials Mic’d Up” programme, which previously released audio exposing a refereeing error in the Liverpool vs Tottenham fixture.
Forest’s forthright criticism of Stuart Attwell, the VAR official who was labelled a “Luton fan,” prompted a stern response from the EPL. The league stated it was “extremely disappointed” by Forest’s statement and considered it an improper questioning of match officials’ integrity, which could warrant disciplinary action under competition rules.
Aiming to avoid future controversies, Forest have called for updated regulations acknowledging “contextual rivalries in the league table” when assigning match officials. Nonetheless, PGMOL insists it follows a stringent process accounting for club allegiances, family ties, performance metrics, and distributing appointments evenly across its pool of elite referees.
The English refereeing contingent’s high standing is exemplified by UEFA selecting eight officials, including Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver as lead referees, for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament. Stuart Attwell and David Coote were named amongst the VARs.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
