Richard Keys reacts to Everton v Nottingham Forest saga, calls it a ‘shocker’
Richard Keys has called for the officials involved in Everton versus Nottingham Forest to be stood down after a “shocker” of a performance on Sunday (21 April).
Forest were denied three possible penalties at Goodison Park, with the club then coming out post-match to condemn the PGMOL and their choice of officials for the encounter, claiming VAR Stuart Attwell’s should not be appointed as they claimed he is a Luton Town supporter.
beinSPORTS presenter Keys has already shown his support towards Forest on his blog [22 April], and he has backed that up with another tweet on Tuesday morning (23 April).
While most have directed criticism at Forest for their reaction, Keys has sided with the club and also suggested Gary Neville’s claim when speaking on Sky that their statement was like that of a “mafia gang” was incorrect – with the Daily Mail reporting (22 April) that Forest are considering legal action over the comments.
Keys tweeted: “We need calm now. Forest have a point. The origin of the problem was the appointment – arrogant & wrong. Both refs had a shocker. They should be stood down. Mafia talk is nonsense. Never in our league – but fixing has happened before.”
Linked within the tweet was a news article from 2017 in which the Head of VAR in the Bundesliga Hellmut Krug was fired following fixing allegations.
Everton v Nottingham Forest saga rumbles on
Mistakes from VAR and officials have dominated the airways during this Premier League season, a time when the organisation has faced more questions than ever over its integrity.
The decision to deduct both Everton and Nottingham Forest points this season has already gone down badly, especially given Manchester City are still yet to hear of judgements for their own charges while sitting top of the table.
Everton themselves have asked for transparency over certain decisions which have gone against them this season, such as a potential red card for Ibrahima Konate that was not given in the Merseyside derby, and the lack of a penalty after Dominic Calvert-Lewin was seemingly tripped in the area against Bournemouth.
The Toffees can also feel aggrieved towards Forest that their points deduction was only four points, while Sean Dyche’s men have had to battle against two separate penalties totalling eight points.
This latest issue feels like one that could rumble on for some time with the fallout dominating the media agenda right now.
In other Everton news, no rival takeover bid is expected despite the fears over 777’s attempt falling through.
For more Everton news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.