Everton v Nottingham Forest: Stuart Attwell told he could sue after new controversy
Simon Jordan believes Stuart Attwell could sue in any other form of life after Nottingham Forest questioned him on social media following their 2-0 defeat to Everton on Sunday (21 April).
Attwell, who was in control of VAR, waved away three possible penalty shouts for Forest at Goodison Park, with the club suggesting that his allegiances to Luton Town could have swayed his decisions.
Ashley Young was involved in all three situations, which were denied by referee Anthony Taylor and VAR did not step in, prompting Forest’s post via X (21 April).
Speaking live via talkSPORT on Monday (22 April, 10:11am), Jordan said: “If I’m Stuart Attwell, in any other walk of life, I’m thinking I could sue someone for these observations because it’s defamation of character. Football needs to be very careful.
“I know Peter Walton’s piece in The Times said that they need to call a general meeting about the standards and conduct – don’t be so stupid. It’s Nottingham Forest that need to be dealt with, not the rest of the Premier League, so don’t be so ridiculous. They need to be put in their place.
“Whether they had validity and competency in the decisions, they have stepped over a line and, metaphorically, need to be smacked.”
Everton overcome controversial decisions in vital victory v Nottingham Forest
Young, and Everton, can count themselves lucky that none of the three contentious situations were penalised by Taylor, but they deserve it after the horrid punishments from the Premier League.
Idrissa Gana Gueye and Dwight McNeil helped claim just their third victory of 2024, opening up the gap between themselves and the relegation zone to five points, although it should be loads more.
Sean Dyche’s men are competing to survive the threat of relegation for the third successive season, and the win against Forest was a crucial step towards achieving that goal.
Of course, the penalty decisions could have completely changed the complexion of the game at Goodison Park, and considering they have conceded the second-most penalties in the league this season, it would come as no surprise.
Teams need luck sometimes, and Everton were presented with just that when it came to their penalty area, so while Forest can be frustrated with the decisions, you can’t justify an outburst like this.
The reaction from the club is a totally unacceptable one, and something that will likely be punished in the not-too-distant future.
In other Everton news, a senior player may never start for the club again after the Chelsea loss and is now very likely to leave in June.
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