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Premier League legend Alan Shearer went on an X-rated tirade over Nottingham Forest's 'embarrassing' statement about the refereeing performance in a 2-0 loss to Everton.
The Tricky Trees were outraged by the manner of their defeat away at Goodison Park on Sunday (April 21). Idrissa Gueye (29') and Dwight McNeil (76') were on the scoresheet for the hosts in a crucial win against their fellow relegation battlers.
However, Nottingham Forest's fury stemmed from the officiating, specifically three penalty appeals being turned down.
Everton defender Ashley Young looked to have kicked Giovanni Reyna's foot in the box in the 12th minute but no spot-kick was awarded. Callum Hudson-Odoi's cross appeared to strike Young on the arm in the 44th minute but again appeals were waved away. The Toffees veteran full-back brought the former Chelsea winger down in the box again 10 minutes later but penalty shouts were silenced.
Nottingham Forest released a lengthy statement on the club's official X (formerly Twitter) account:
"Three extremely poor decisions - three penalties not given - which we simply cannot accept. We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times. NFFC will now consider its options."
Shearer sat down with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards for the latest episode of The Rest is Football podcast. The Newcastle United icon took time to praise Everton for getting the job done:
"Well done to Everton because very much like the top of the table at this stage of the season it doesn't matter how you play just get the three points."
However, Shearer was perplexed by Nottingham Forest's statement and had Lineker and Richards in stitches:
"But what the f**k are Forest doing putting that statement out? It's an absolute embarrassment. We told the PGMOL that he was a Luton fan... I mean what on earth are they thinking about."
Lineker opined that Forest's referee analyst and former FA referee Mark Clattenburg likely wrote it. Shearer responded:
"Well it was either him or the owner."
Richards laughed and added that he thought it was a parody account. The trio agreed that the club's social media post was beyond comprehension.
That said, Forest's loss was consequential as they fell to 17th in the Premier League table. They sit a point above Luton Town with four games left.
Gary Neville calls for Nottingham Forest referee analyst Mark Clattenburg to stand down
Gary Neville was similarly stunned by Nottingham Forest's social media post and he took aim at the club's referee analyst Clattenburg. The Manchester United icon said on Sky Sports:
"Mark Clattenberg must resign tonight. If he saw those words go out in which question the integrity of a referee and claims 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."
The former English referee, who has officiated matches at FIFA World Cup tournaments, was appointed in February. He is deemed the main voice behind Forest's outrage over their three turned-down penalty appeals.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side's anger was directed at referee Stuart Atwell, who they claimed to have informed the PGMOL that he was a Luton Town fan. They have since released a statement confirming that they've asked for audio recordings between officials from the game.
