PGMOL REFEREE APPOINTMENTS EXPLAINED AFTER EVERTON CONTROVERSY AND NOTTINGHAM FOREST STATEMENT

Stuart Attwell has emerged at the centre of the latest refereeing controversy in light of Nottingham Forest's 2-0 defeat to Everton.

The showdown between the two sides came during an important period of the Premier League campaign as they both battle for safety - following their respective points deductions.

Goals from Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil downed Nuno Espirito Santo's side leaving them just one point clear of the dropzone, subsequently moving the the Blues five points away from the bottom three. The game was overshadowed by a furious statement, posted on X, from Forest in the immediate aftermath of their defeat.

"Three extremely poor decisions - three penalties not given - which we simply cannot accept," it began.

"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."

The complaint relates to three penalty shouts for Forest on Merseyside with Ashley Young at the thick of it. He escaped punishment for a kick on Giovanni Reyna in the penalty area before further action wasn't taken when the ball hit his hand midway through the first-half.

Young brought down Callum Hudson-Odoi as the attacker looked to race through on goal but the on-field decision was that Young played the ball. In the three instances, VAR checked the passages of play but failed to find that a clear error was made.

Within Forest's strong statement, they highlight their complaints to the PGMOL that the video assistant referee was a Luton fan. The ECHO understands that every Premier League official must declare allegiances, and will not be assigned that team’s matches or certain other fixtures such as those involving direct rivals of that club.

There are other factors that determine appointments including; how many times an official has refereed each club in that season, which teams their immediate family members support and performance.

In 2016, former boss of the PGMOL Keith Hackett revealed how the process of selecting referees is made, he said: "At the beginning of every season the referees' background information is audited. They complete a form that includes who they support, the history of if they've played the game and with the addresses where they are residing.

"That gives you a picture that comes into use when you're appointing. It's about ensuring, for example, that you wouldn't appoint a Sheffield-based ref for a Sheffield team."

2024-04-22T11:09:04Z dg43tfdfdgfd