sport news Dermot Gallagher's verdict on all three of Nottingham Forest's penalty appeals ... trends now
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has given his views on all three of Nottingham Forest's penalty appeals against Everton.
He has also insisted it is wrong to question Video Assistant Referee Stuart Attwell's integrity - which is exactly what Forest did in the wake of their 2-0 loss on Sunday.
Forest are facing an FA investigation after an inflammatory post on the club's X account read: '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.’
The PGMOL told Mail Sport that all officials are impartial and that every official must declare allegiances. They 'will not be assigned that team’s matches or certain other fixtures such as those involving direct (location) rivals of that club'.
All three penalty shouts were against Ashley Young for fouls on Gio Reyna and Callum Hudson-Odoi as well as a handball.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has given his view on the three penalty shouts from Nottingham Forest's match with Everton
Video Assistant Referee Staurt Attwell has taken criticism for not overruling on-field decisions and giving Forest a penalty
'Stuart Attwell is one of the VARs who is used week in, week out on the Champions League, so he must be regarded as a very integral part of the system. He goes out regularly to Nyon, sits in the booth, does all kinds of matches for them,' Gallagher told Sky Sports.
'You don't do that if you're not qualifed. You don't do that if you're not capable. You don't do that if you're making mistakes on a regular basis.
'With all that in mind, I would suggest that the fact he is sat there yesterday, people may question his decision, but I think it's not right to question his integrity.'
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, who now works as a consultant for Forest, wrote a column for Mail Sport calling the decisions a 'hat-trick of howlers'.
It was, for Clattenburg, a series of calls that are a 'continuation of an unjust trend that has hampered their [Forest's] survival fight'.
In the first half, Young kicked the back of Reyna's boot and the Forest player went down, but nothing was awarded.
Gallagher believes that this was the correct decision. 'I think no [penalty]. I think the referee has got the perfect view. There's contact, but as we say, not all contact is a foul. I think it's minimal contact. Referee has got the best view.
