Nottingham Forest’s attempt to overturn a £750,000 ($968,000) fine for a social media post criticizing Premier League referee Stuart Attwell has been unsuccessful.
The club made the post last April after a 2-0 loss to Everton, expressing frustration over what they believed were three clear penalty decisions that went against them.
In the statement, Forest claimed they had previously “warned” the referees’ body, Professional Game Match Officials Limited, about Attwell’s alleged support for their relegation rivals Luton Town, adding: “Our patience has been tested multiple times.”
Following an investigation, a regulatory commission imposed the substantial fine in October, which Forest swiftly appealed, arguing that the penalty was excessive.
However, the Football Association upheld the original decision, condemning the post as an “egregious, direct and public attack” on Attwell and referees in general, describing it as being “on an unparalleled scale.”
On Monday, the FA confirmed that the appeal board had maintained the fine and ordered the post’s removal.
While the link to the post on X was inactive at the time, Forest had yet to officially confirm its deletion.
In its written reasoning, the appeal board stated, “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.”
Despite their off-field controversy, Forest managed to avoid relegation last season while Luton dropped to the Championship.
This season, they sit third in the Premier League, firmly in the race for a Champions League spot.
