Yahoo News Mark Clattenburg facing backlash from furious former colleagues over Nottingham Forest rant
Mark Clattenburg has caused outrage amongst Premier League referees, pundits and governing bodies for his role in questioning the integrity of Stuart Atwell in the aftermath of Nottingham Forest's defeat to Everton.
Forest were left enraged, so much so that a club statement was released via social media, regarding three penalty decisions that went in Everton's favour during Sunday's 2-0 defeat. It was alleged that they had warned PGMOL over Atwell's allegiance to fellow relegation fighters Luton Town as a supporter.
The aftermath has been chaotic, as Clattenburg - now a consultant for Forest - doubled down on the statement as part of an extraordinary rant. The former match official branded the situation a "joke," in "as grim a game as they have encountered since returning to the Premier League."
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He went on to discuss Atwell's involvement in the fixture, stating that he "would not have risked this situation" had it been his call to appoint the top-flight's officials. "Referees do not make mistakes deliberately but this was mind-boggling to watch - why Attwell did not send Taylor to his screen, only he will know," he added.
Forest have now requested the full match audio from PGMOL chief Howard Webb as they continued the argument on Monday. They prompted the body to review its rules regarding referee allegiances to account for contextual rivalries in the Premier League, rather than just geographical rivalries.
The Premier League released a statement of their own condemning the club's actions in this regard, suggesting they will refer to their own rulebook to discover if any wrongdoing has taken place.
The Football Association have promised similar, as they have approached the club, manager Nuno Espirito Santo, full-back Neco Williams and Clattenburg himself, for clarification as their investigation begins. Charges could be issued if deemed necessary.
Finally, Clattenburg has caused outrage amongst pundits in the Premier League sphere. Gary Neville led the charge in Clattenburg's direction even before his comments were published by the Daily Mail, stating on Sky Sports' live coverage of Sunday's action that he must step down from his post at the City Ground.
Evidently the warning was not heeded, then in the aftermath of the Clattenburg column, fellow former referee Dermot Gallagher provided his response. Slamming Clattenburg, he said: "Stuart Attwell is one of the VARs used week-in and week-out in the Champions League so must be regarded as integral to the system. People may question his decisions but it’s not right to question his integrity."
