Nuno Espirito Santo reveals he received an APOLOGY from PGMOL chief Howard Webb after Willy Boly’s controversial sending off against Bournemouth… with the Nottingham Forest boss slamming ‘bad’ decision

Nuno Espirito Santo has revealed that PGMOL chief Howard Webb has apologized to Nottingham Forest following Willy Boly's controversial send-off against Bournemouth on Saturday.

It was the Portuguese manager's first game in charge of the club after taking over from Steve Cooper, but it wasn't the start he would have wanted as Forest lost 3-2 at home to the side by Andoni Iraola at City Ground.

To make matters worse, the home side were reduced to ten men, with Boly sent off in the 23rd minute after sliding in to win the ball, before catching Bournemouth's Adam Smith in the follow-up.

Referee Robert Jones opted to award the centre-back a second yellow card for the challenge, a decision which Espirito Santo disapproved after the match, with Forest reportedly also applying to the PGMOL to suspend the referee after the match .

“Let's not talk about that,” Espirito Santo said Amazon Prime Sports on broadcast, ahead of Forest's Boxing Day match against Newcastle. 'It was tough, a bad decision.

It came after Nottingham Forest defender Willy Boly was sent off during their 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon

'Where the referee is, he has a clear view of the situation, he should not have gone straight with the red card.

“I've seen it many times and I don't understand the decision.”

According to The TelegraphWebb had contacted the football club to admit that Jones had made a serious and obvious mistake by sending Boly off the field during the match.

Forest have also asked to hear the conversation between Jones and the VAR official before the match.

Despite this, when asked by Amazon Prime Sport if he had spoken to Webb, Espirito Santo said: “I got a message (from Howard Webb saying sorry) and we accept it and we move on.”

Espirito Santo was also asked if it would be fair if the PGMOL admitted their mistake and allowed Boly to play in today's match. He said: 'That would be great (if Boly could play), but that's not possible.

“The club has clearly referred to the situation and we hope that everything can proceed normally: respect for the game and respect for the players.”

The exclusion has sparked much debate online, with Espirito Santo rejecting the referee's decision after the match, claiming he should have taken a different approach and imposed a lower penalty.

“First of all, the referee's approach is bad,” he said on Saturday afternoon. 'Boly has a first yellow card, which is fair, but for the second Boly's foot is under the Bournemouth player's foot, so (the referee's) approach should be more careful.

Reports claim that Howard Webb had contacted Nottingham Forest to admit a serious refereeing error had been made

Referee Robert Jones opted to award him a second yellow card after Boly won the ball, but made contact with Adam Smith in his follow-up

The broadcast means Boly will miss this afternoon's match against Newcastle at St James' Park

'Wait a little longer for the help of an assistant or the help of the VAR, wait a moment and they will tell you. But after that he cannot reverse the decision.

“Our fans deserve better decisions. They come here to see football and suddenly they see something that really changes the game.”

Former Nottingham Forest and England defender Stuart Pearce echoed that sentiment ahead of Tuesday's match against Newcastle, saying: 'They were two of the cleanest tackles I have seen and what has frustrated me in the Premier League at the moment is that the results depend on decisions rather than good football.'

Forest, meanwhile, will be looking to earn their first win in seven games at St James' Park today, with a win could push them further out of the relegation zone, above Everton and into 16th place.