Following a misconduct finding by the Football Association, Nottingham Forest first-team coach Steven Reid has received an extended two-match touchline suspension and a £5,000 fine.
Reid approached referee Paul Tierney after Nottingham Forest’s loss to Liverpool earlier this month. It was determined that he had directed an expletive phrase towards Tierney on multiple occasions.
Additionally, Forest has been fined £75,000 for their involvement in the incident.
The Premier League team was penalized for not ensuring their players and technical staff conducted themselves appropriately after the final whistle. The club accepted the charge.
The incident occurred after Darwin Nunez scored a 99th-minute winner at the City Ground.
What happened?
During second-half stoppage time, the game was halted due to a head injury to Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate, with Nottingham Forest in possession of the ball outside the penalty area.
The home team was angered by referee Tierney’s choice to return possession to Liverpool via a drop-ball. Subsequently, Nunez capitalized on this possession to score.
Mark Clattenburg, Forest’s referee analyst, criticised the decision post-match, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “If the referee stops the game, he has to give the ball back to the team in possession. That was Forest.”
In his report of the incident, Tierney said: “Following the final whistle I was surrounded by members of Nottingham Forest’s substitutes and backroom staff on the field of play.
“One of those who approached me was Steven Reid, who was not listed on the teamsheet.
“He asked me about a decision and I said to him that I will speak to him inside and not outside on the field of play. He then continued to question me and I repeated that I would speak to him inside. He then said, ‘it’s the same every week, you [expletive]’.”
Tierney issued Reid a red card for his remark, which Reid confessed was both abusive and insulting. However, despite being sent off, Reid, aged 43, refuted claims that he persisted in using such language towards Tierney.
Tierney asserted that Reid proceeded to repeatedly curse and use the offensive term towards him at least twice more as they exited the field of play. Reports from the assistant referees also indicated that Reid “continued to confront” Tierney. The charge against Reid was substantiated.
Following the match, Forest confirmed that their owner, Evangelos Marinakis, did approach Tierney afterward, but they dismissed claims that he needed to be restrained.
This incident marks the fourth occasion in 18 months that Forest has been penalized for surrounding a match official.
In its conclusion, the regulatory commission that imposed the latest sanction said “future breaches of the rules may be treated more severely”.