Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has given his thoughts on the storm that followed last month’s loss to Everton
Regarding Nottingham Forest’s social media statement challenging Stuart Attwell’s selection as VAR for the team’s defeat at Everton, Evangelos Marinakis expresses no remorse.
Following the final whistle at Goodison Park, where the team was deep in the relegation zone, Forest released a forceful statement. It said as follows: “We just cannot accept three incredibly bad decisions and three penalties that were not imposed.
“Before the game, we informed the PGMOL that the VAR supports Luton, but they chose not to replace him. Many times, our patience has been put to the test. NFFC will now weigh its alternatives.”
Nuno Espirito Santo and other club employees then backed it, which prompted formal inquiries by the FA and Premier League as well as a great deal of criticism in the press. Jamie Carragher made the joke, “Like a fan in the pub,” while Gary Neville compared it to what a “mafia gang” would do.
In a detailed interview with the Mail Online, Marinakis asks, “Who created this storm?” “Apologies? Not at all. But for other people to say all these things and act like such bullshit…”
The owner of Forest feels that the commotion is unfounded. He clarified, asking to be questioned, saying, “The fact is that this particular referee is well known to be a Luton fan – and no doubt declared his interest to PGMOL, as all of them have to.”
“I think the PGMOL made a mistake by choosing him for this game. At that point, Luton was directly beneath Forest. in the eighteenth position in the final relegation round. For the team to remain in the Premier League, the match against Everton was crucial.
“The PGMOL ought not to have taken a chance on the possibility of any bias, not even unconscious bias. It is our responsibility to alert people to situations and take proactive measures, but we do not intend to control or impose changes on the PGMOL or the Premier League. If this constitutes criminal activity…”
After reviewing the match, PGMOL chief Howard Webb finally acknowledged in public that the only one of the three controversial penalty decisions that should have resulted in a different decision was Ashley Young’s challenge of Callum Hudson-Odoi.
“Three uncontested penalties were present—not just one,” the Greek entrepreneur claims. “We have the analysis from trusted experts to prove it.”