Premier League: Forest lose appeal over controversial referee criticism fine

Nottingham Forest has failed in its appeal against the £750,000 ($968,000) fine imposed for a controversial social media post last season criticizing Premier League match official Stuart Attwell.  

The club made the post in April 2024 after a 2-0 defeat to Everton, alleging that they were denied three clear penalties.

They also claimed they had previously warned referees’ body PGMOL about Attwell’s potential bias, given his reported support for their relegation rivals, Luton Town.

The regulatory commission handed Forest the hefty fine in October, deeming the post improper. The club contested the punishment, arguing it was excessive, but their appeal has now been dismissed.

The Football Association described the post as an “egregious, direct and public attack” on Attwell and an attack on referees in general “on an unparalleled scale.”

The FA confirmed on Monday that an appeal board had upheld the original sanction and ordered the post to be taken down.

The link to the post on X was not working on Monday, though the club did not immediately confirm whether it had been removed.

The appeal board stated in its written reasons: “The (original) commission was entitled and right to give very considerable weight to the need for deterrence and the fact that NFFC had no mitigation. The lack of mitigation was particularly striking.”

Forest escaped relegation last season, while Luton were relegated to the Championship.

This season, Forest are third in the Premier League table and challenging for a Champions League place.