The Football Association filed misconduct charges against Nottingham Forest, manager Nuno Espirito Santo, and defender Neco Williams on the same day that veteran Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg resigned from his position with the team.
Nuno and Williams’ remarks after the 2-0 loss at Everton last month prompted action from the FA, and Clattenburg received a warning regarding his behavior going forward.
The FA said: “It’s alleged that the club, manager and player’s comments constitute improper conduct in that they imply bias and/or question the integrity of the match officials and/or bring the game into disrepute.”
They have till this Thursday to address the accusation.
Shortly after the final whistle, Forest, incensed at three penalty decisions against them, made a furious statement on X that was viewed over 45 million times.
The team stated that they informed the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the organization that oversees referees, that Stuart Attwell, the game’s video assistant referee (VAR), was purportedly a supporter of Luton, a team that is relegated.
BBC Sport has been informed that, contrary to the negative post on social media, Forest did not request that Attwell be substituted before the game.
After the game Williams told Sky Sports: “Every single week this happens now. We are getting decisions against us, I don’t know why. Is it because we are a lower, bottom half of the table team? Because I guarantee all the top six teams are getting every single one of them.
“I know every single person watching that game today knew all three of them were clear, blatant penalties. It is ridiculous. It is week after week now we are getting these decisions against us.”
Nuno said the officials had bad games while Clattenburg, in the Mail on Sunday, called the decisions a joke and said Forest were feeling victimised.
The FA invited the three of them to share their observations. On Thursday, Nuno acknowledged that he had replied.
The Premier League also declared that it will look into the remarks.
The announcement follows Clattenburg’s resignation, citing that his position had “become more of a hindrance than help” to the team.
In February, Clattenburg started serving as a referee analyst for the Premier League team that was in danger of relegation.
He had already been involved in a well-publicized incident during Liverpool’s March loss, when he openly criticized referee Paul Tierney following Darwin Nunez’s late winner.
He said that after an earlier foul caused the game to be paused, Forest ought to have been awarded the ball back and that they were not allowed to talk with Tierney in the officials’ dressing room following the game.
Gary Neville, a Sky Sports analyst and former Manchester United defender, urged Clattenburg to step down following Forest’s remarks following the Everton match.
In his own statement on Friday Clattenburg said his role had caused “unintended friction between Forest and other participants”.
“It has also led to the unmerited targeting of me, personally, by certain participants and pundits,” he added.
“I performed my services under the consultancy agreement in good faith, to the best of my abilities and in the hope of using my extensive experience as a match official to help Nottingham Forest understand how decisions in relation to key match incidents are made amid the workings of VAR.”
Forest travel to relegated Sheffield United on Saturday sitting a point above the Premier League’s bottom three.