Nottingham Forest did not make a request for Stuart Attwell to be taken off Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duty for Sunday's game against Everton, according to reports.
The 2-0 win for the Blues has triggered a spectacular fallout, with Forest issuing a statement at full time criticising the officials and insinuating bias from the VAR, who they claimed was a Luton Town supporter.
"We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him," read a section of the statement. "Our patience has been tested multiple times."
Ashley Young taunts Nottingham Forest after Everton win and explosive statement
Clattenburg and Forest reaction to Everton as classless as their supporter chant
However, according to the Press Association, Forest did not make an official request to have Attwell taken off the game.
"PA understands Forest’s referee analyst Mark Clattenburg contacted PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer Howard Webb on Friday to share that manager Nuno Espirito Santo might be asked about Attwell’s appointment at his pre-match press conference, but ultimately no such questions were asked," reads the Press Association report.
"However, the PA news agency has been told Forest, and Clattenburg, did not request for the appointment of Attwell to be changed and nor did the club express that they had any problem with the appointment."
The Press Association note they have contacted Forest, who are to be subject to an FA investigation for their post-match statement, for a response to the claims.
Clattenburg, who was recently appointed to the role of Forest's referee analyst, was critical of three decisions that went against his side during the loss to the Blues in his own column in the Daily Mail.
In
Read on liverpoolecho.co.uk