Nottingham Forest ‘could sue Sky over Gary Neville’s mafia slur’… while FA are set to throw book at club after bombshell statement, with Mark Clattenburg in hot water for Mail Sport column

Nottingham Forest are considering legal action against Sky after pundit Gary Neville branded their controversial statement following the defeat at Everton as that of a ‘mafia gang’.

Greek owner Evangelos Marinakis was furious when his team were denied three penalties during the 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park, with VAR Stuart Attwell apparently choosing not to send referee Anthony Taylor to his pitch monitor to review the decisions.

The club then posted on X that they had alerted the PGMOL that Attwell was a fan of Luton Town, their relegation rivals.

Neville said: ‘It looks like a statement from a mafia gang. I mean, honestly, what the hell are they playing with? It’s like a petulant child, it’s embarrassing. And some of the things they say there, the suggestion that there is cheating because there is a VAR official at Stockley Park who is a Luton fan, is a scandal and they will pay for it.”

Mail Sport understands that Forest’s legal team are now drafting a letter to Sky about Neville’s comments.

Neville branded their statement after the Everton defeat as that of a ‘mafia gang’

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was furious that his team were denied three penalties at Everton

The club privately acknowledges that they acted emotionally and hastily in relation to their statement, but this is unlikely to avoid a fine from the Football Association.

The FA has formally requested comments from the club, manager Nuno Espirito Santo, player Neco Williams and Mark Clattenburg – an advisor to the club’s board – following their comments after the match.

Nuno said: ‘If we were in another country we would start talking about conspiracy’, while Clattenburg, who was not responsible for the club statement, wrote in his Mail Sport column that the errors were ‘baffling’. It was he who first raised the club’s concerns about Attwell during a telephone conversation with PGMOL boss Howard Webb on Friday morning.

Forest have now formally requested that the VAR audio of the game be made public, ‘for full transparency and to ensure the integrity of our sport is maintained’. The club also wants the Premier League to reconsider rules on officials involved in matches that could impact the team they support. They emphasize that their concern is about “how the integrity of the game is perceived” and “not about individuals.”

Mail Sport understands Webb told Clattenburg he would not dismiss Attwell when they spoke on Friday. During an eight-minute conversation, Webb said he did not know Attwell was a Luton supporter. Clattenburg explained that the information was readily available online and that the club had expected it to be raised at Nuno’s pre-match press conference later that day.

Webb, we’re told, said he didn’t think it was necessary to change the appointment and was annoyed by the suggestion. Clattenburg accepted Webb’s position, but he felt that such appointments could cause a problem for the PGMOL as Forest and Luton are currently 17th and 18th in the Premier League. He said Forest wanted Attwell swapped for another official.

Forest were subsequently stunned when none of the three incidents involving Everton defender Ashley Young in the penalty area were recommended for referral by Attwell, prompting the statement that has led to an explosive fallout.

“Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – that we simply cannot accept,” it said. ‘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.”

PGMOL insiders claim that Clattenburg did not ask for a change in appointment and that Forest had no problem with Attwell’s involvement. They also say the pair spoke after Nuno’s press conference, which did not mention Attwell. However, Nuno met the press at 1.30pm and we can reveal that Webb and Clattenburg spoke at 10.30am.

Nottingham Forest have formally requested that VAR audio of the match be made public

Forest adviser Mark Clattenburg has been asked for comments by the FA

Sources insist that in raising concerns about Attwell’s loyalty, Forest invited Webb to review the appointment, contrary to what the PGMOL now claims. The discrepancies have intensified the feud.

In a further statement on Monday evening, Forest said: ‘Following yesterday’s match, NFFC issued a statement highlighting our concerns about the perception of PGMOL’s appointment of VAR for the match. This was an issue we raised at PGMOL prior to the match, due to the fear of the afterthought that would arise if something went wrong performing in the match. That fear has become reality as the correctness of three key decisions against the club has been questioned.

‘This is not about individuals, but about how the integrity of the game is perceived. We know that match officials do not allow outside factors to influence their decision-making and that all referees are required to declare their “allegiance” to PGMOL to avoid any perceived conflict or damage to the game’s reputation for integrity.

‘However, it is clear that PGMOL needs to adjust its rule on loyalty to take into account contextual rivalries in the rankings, and not just local rivalries. This is not currently within the criteria, but it should be. The mere reliance on match officials to recuse themselves when there is a contextual rivalry raises suspicions, as some have recused themselves while others have not.

‘NFFC stands by its call for greater transparency around PGMOL appointments to further protect the reputation of the game, as envisaged in PGMOL’s existing approach to loyalty. Given the widespread and ongoing concerns, not only from the fans, players and managers of this club, but from many others and the experts about VAR decisions throughout this season, any step that increases confidence in the system must be carefully considered. ‘