 fine imposed by the Football Association (FA) for a social media post.){kind=link}
Nottingham Forest has lost its appeal against a £750,000 ($968,000) fine imposed by the Football Association (FA) for a social media post criticizing Premier League match official Stuart Attwell.
The post, published in April last year, followed a 2-0 defeat to Everton, in which Forest felt they had been denied three clear penalties. The club stated that they had “warned” referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that Attwell, who was the video assistant referee for the match, was a fan of their relegation rivals Luton, adding: “Our patience has been tested multiple times.”
A regulatory commission issued the £750,000 fine in October, with Forest immediately indicating their intention to appeal, arguing that the punishment was disproportionate. However, an appeal board has upheld the original sanction and ordered the post to be taken down.
The FA described the post as an “egregious, direct and public attack” on Attwell and an attack on referees in general “on an unparalleled scale.” 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 is third in the Premier League table and challenging for a Champions League place.