According to recent rumors, referee chief Howard Webb would acknowledge that Nottingham Forest should have received at least one penalty in their matchup loss to Everton.
That match at Goodison Park had consequences that were not seen in any other Premier League game. The officiating that occurred during the game infuriated Forest.
In the match, referee Anthony Taylor and VAR Stuart Attwell reviewed incidents involving Everton’s Ashley Young. During the first half he appeared to clip Giovanni Reyna and handle the ball from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross, then in the second period he hauled down the latter as he raced through on goal.
Now according to multiple reports originating from an article by The Sun, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Webb will publicly state that the club should have been handed a spot-kick when he appears on this month’s episode of ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up’.
A Key Match Incident panel consisting of former players, managers and referees are believed to have concluded that the third penalty claim was indeed a foul and should have been decided by Taylor at the pitchside monitor, though the two in the first half were deemed correct.
‘Mic’d Up’, which was first released at the start of the 2023/24 campaign, shows the former top-flight referee discussing contentious matters from the past month of action with ex-striker Michael Owen, before delivering his verdict and explaining what changes will be implemented to fix any problems. This month’s episode is due to be broadcast by Sky Sports and TNT Sports later this week.
This would be the first time the match officials audio from Everton vs Forest has been broadcast publicly, after the club were granted private access prior to Sunday’s match against Man City. Whilst it would be a moral victory, it doesn’t put points on the board in a relegation scrap and as the new reports suggest, the club are still in line to face multiple charges for their actions.
The Premier League and Football Association opened investigations into the responses of the club itself on social media, as well as manager Nuno Espirito Santo, defender Neco Williams and consultant Mark Clattenburg.
For the league’s judgement, it is said they are considering a punishment for the club on the grounds of not acting ‘with the utmost good faith’. The FA are then apparently set to dish out charges to each of the individuals involved.
