Michael Oliver interview resurfaces, where he reveals he can’t referee Newcastle games because he’s a fan – after Nottingham Forest questioned Stuart Attwell’s integrity amid claims he is a Luton supporter

An old Mail Sport interview with Premier League referee Michael Oliver has surfaced following the VAR controversy at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Forest wrote an incendiary post on social media shortly after the full-time defeat of their 2-0 defeat to relegation rivals Everton.

They claimed VAR Stuart Attwell showed bias towards them because he was ‘a Luton fan’, while they also condemned ‘three extremely poor decisions’ and vowed to ‘consider their options’ in the future.

It came after three potential penalties involving Toffees defender Ashley Young – including a handball and two challenges – went in favor of Sean Dyche’s side despite being controlled by Attwell.

Forest’s official post sent shockwaves through the football world and was widely condemned, but an interview Oliver did with Mail Sport in 2021 gained traction on social media.

Forest published a furious tweet after the match claiming they had been denied three clear penalties

One of the controversial incidents occurred when Callum Hudson-Odoi saw his cross stopped by the outstretched arm of Ashley Young, who had earlier clipped Gio Reyna in the box.

Later, Hudson-Odoi burst into the area but Young cleared him with a challenge from behind

A post shared by a Forest fan showed a screenshot of an extract from Oliver’s interview in which he discussed the club’s loyalty.

The Newcastle fan and referee had told Mail Sport’s Oliver Holt: ‘I never officiate games in Newcastle. We have to declare whether we are loyal to a club or whether a family member works at a club.

“You can’t play any game involving that team, and I can’t do Sunderland either, for obvious reasons.

‘Because Newcastle are invariably involved in a relegation battle, it means I won’t be able to get anyone around them into the bottom three come March or April.

‘If Newcastle needed a point to survive and the team they were fighting was Villa, for example, then I couldn’t referee Villa’s game either. I wouldn’t want it. It’s not worth the effort.’

Forest’s furious statement read in full: ‘Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – that we simply cannot accept.

‘We warned the PGMOL before the match that the VAR is a Luton fan, but they didn’t change it. Our patience has been tested several times. NFFC will now consider its options.”

The extract from Oliver’s interview suggests that if Attwell is indeed a Luton fan, as Forest claim, he should not have been put in charge of VAR for the game at Goodison Park as the Hatters battle for survival with the East Midlands side .

Former top referee Mark Clattenburg, who was appointed by Forest as a refereeing analyst in February due to their perceived criticism of the decisions they have been subjected to this season, backed the club’s view when he spoke to Mail Sport on Sunday.

He also hit out at Anthony Taylor’s refereeing, along with Attwell’s VAR performance, while criticizing the PGMOL for failing to avoid a controversial situation.

In the 2021 interview, Oliver, a Newcastle fan, had revealed that referees cannot officiate matches involving or linked to the team they support.

Forest insinuated that VAR Stuart Attwell was biased against them because he is a Luton supporter

Forest’s referee analyst Mark Clattenburg slammed Attwell, Taylor and the PGMOL

“You will have seen the club’s statement,” he said. ‘How the PGMOL was contacted to warn it was not appropriate for a Luton fan like Attwell to play such a crucial role in a huge match that would impact the relegation race.

‘Certainly, if I were head of the referees, I would not have risked this situation and all this could have been avoided if the PGMOL had simply made smarter agreements.’

When contacted by Mail Sport, a PGMOL spokesperson said: ‘Officials are impartial. Each official must declare his allegiance, and no matches of that team or certain other matches, such as those involving direct (location) rivals of that club, will be assigned.

‘Other factors determining appointments include which teams their immediate family members support and of course performance.’