Nottingham Forest charged by FA over statement about Stuart Attwell

Nottingham Forest have been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association over their extraordinary statement about VAR Stuart Attwell, on the day referee analyst Mark Clattenburg quit the club.

Forest issued a social media post minutes after the defeat to Everton on April 21 criticising the rejection of three penalty appeals, and claiming they had warned referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that Attwell was a fan of relegation rivals Luton but nothing was done about it.

The FA has also charged Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo and full-back Neco Williams over their comments about the officiating, while issuing a formal warning to Clattenburg hours after he announced his resignation.

The FA alleged the comments by Forest, Nuno and Williams “constitute improper conduct in that they imply bias and/or question the integrity of the match officials and/or bring the game into disrepute”.

The club, Nuno and Williams have until May 9 to respond, the FA said.

The Premier League is also investigating the Forest post on Attwell under its rules, having put out a statement saying it was “extremely disappointed” by it.