The Premier League could be on a collision course with Nottingham Forest once again, with Notts County fan David Coote set to referee relegation rivals Luton this weekend.
The top-flight club were left furious at the weekend after claiming they were denied three penalties during their defeat to Everton. Forest penned an angry statement after the game, condemning the decision to let Stuart Attwell – a Luton fan – oversee VAR.
Those comments are being investigated by both the Premier League and FA. Meanwhile, Forest have continued their protests surrounding refereeing appointments – and have also demanded the VAR audio from their defeat at Goodison Park.
Forest’s fury could potentially grow further, given the latest round of Premier League appointments. David Coote is set to oversee the clash between Luton – who are in the relegation zone and one point behind Forest with four games to play – and Wolves this weekend.
Coote has already been confirmed as a Notts County fan. He has never officiated a game involving the Magpies or cross-city rivals Forest. Any decision in his latest outing could potentially prove pivotal to the Premier League relegation battle. Forest sit one point clear of the drop zone with four matches of the campaign remaining.
Elsewhere, the East Midlands side have already found out the referee for their upcoming clash against Manchester City. Simon Hooper will be the man in the middle this weekend.
It is the first time that he has officiated a game involving Forest since their 3-1 defeat to Tottenham earlier this month. The Reds believed that ex-Leicester star James Maddison should have been sent off that day for a perceived punch but he stayed on the pitch.
Speaking after that game, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo said: “It’s a red card. I was surprised VAR didn’t [send Maddison off]. Maddison lost composure and punched [Ryan] Yates in the stomach. What they saw clearly is not the same as we saw. I wouldn’t speak if I wasn’t 100 per cent sure.”
Forest failed to win their following two games. They followed up the defeat to Spurs with a 2-2 draw against Wolves before slumping to their 2-0 defeat to Everton.
Taking to Twitter after that game, the club said: “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.”
They doubled down on that stance just a day later. Meanwhile, Neco Williams, Nuno and the club’s refereeing analyst have all been asked for their observations after comments they made.
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