Nottingham Forest anger, PGMOL and Shearer as Morgan Gibbs-White red card row rumbles on

Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White is sent off by referee Rob Jones against Brighton and Hove Albion
-Credit: (Image: Getty)


The fallout from Morgan Gibbs-White’s red card in the 83rd minute of Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion continues to rumble on.

The Reds ace was given his marching orders when he was handed a second booking at the Amex Stadium on Sunday. But the decision and how referee Rob Jones reached his conclusion was not without controversy.

Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and Seagulls manager Fabian Hurzeler were also dismissed for their reactions to the incident. We take a look at what happened, what has been said and why the visitors were not happy.

What happened?

Gibbs-White had been booked on the hour mark for fouling Georginio Rutter. The Reds were 2-1 down at that point after Brighton had fought back from Chris Wood’s opener.

Substitute Ramon Sosa equalised with 20 minutes to go, but 13 minutes later the visitors found themselves down to 10 men. Referee Jones initially appeared to indicate Gibbs-White won the ball when he tackled Joao Pedro, but then seemed to change his mind and issued a red card.

Sendings off for Nuno and Hurzeler followed. Nuno’s assistant coach Rui Pedro Silva was booked as the away bench made their feelings clear.

Forest’s thoughts

The Reds were left fuming at the decision-making process by the officials. It is understood the club believe what happened went against guidance Premier League teams were given at the start of the season.

With Jones having originally made the shape of a ball with his hands to indicate a clean tackle, Forest believe he was overruled by fourth official Anthony Taylor. Before the 2024/25 campaign kicked off, clubs and coaching staff were told by referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) that on-field decisions would be supported in an effort to redress the balance between referee and VAR interventions.

It was referred to as the “referee’s call” by the PGMOL, with the idea being it would back referees and give more credence to their initial on-pitch decisions. It was hoped there would be less interference from VAR as a result. The feeling from Forest is that what happened on Sunday did not reflect the earlier guidance.

Of suggestions Jones initially indicated Gibbs-White had won the ball, Reds coach Rui said: “I haven’t had the chance to see the picture and didn’t see that. If he makes that sign to show the ball, maybe go through with his decision. But I didn’t see the image.

“If the referee saw that, he should stick with his decision. But I didn’t see that sign from him.

“In the first moment, I thought it was a fair tackle - a good tackle, but a fair tackle. I didn’t see anything that justified a second yellow card from my point of view on the bench.”

Gibbs-White’s view

Gibbs-White was visibly angry at the decision to send him off. He seemed to protest that he had won the ball - as the referee had originally suggested.

Standing in for Nuno for the post-match interviews, Rui said: “Of course if you ask Morgan he is going to say he got the ball. If you ask the referee, he is going to give a different point of view. I speak with referees a lot. There are moments where we are never going to get an agreement between us.”

Pundits’ verdict

The incident was discussed on Match of the Day 2 and the view was unanimous from the BBC pundits on duty. Both Alan Shearer and Shay Given agreed with the red card call.

Shearer said: "There is no doubt (it warranted the sending off), he’s on a yellow card isn’t he? I know he gets a little bit of the ball but he certainly gets a lot of the opposition player as well. I think it is dangerous.

"The referee actually says he gets the ball first of all by his actions, his hands, he makes that sign. But the VAR can’t get involved, the fourth official can and Anthony Taylor no doubt tells him his first thought was wrong and that tackle deserved a yellow card. It’s the right decision."

Given added: "I think it’s the right decision, but the referee did say he got the ball so there is a bit of confusion and obviously both managers got sent off after that. I think Anthony Taylor, the fourth official, has made the decision for the referee but in the end he made the right call."

Former defender Stephen Warnock offered a different perspective. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live he said: “It was right in front of us. Straight away I was thinking credit to Gibbs-White - he has covered ground and stopped the counter-attack. You see it again on the replay and everything looks worse on a replay, the ankle (of Pedro) collapses underneath him but that is momentum.

“Rob Jones takes his time and he is getting booed off the pitch for the way he has refereed the game. I thought he handled it OK, he took his time to make the decision.”

Brighton’s argument

Seagulls coach Andrew Crofts said: "Late in the game where we're trying to push to win the game and there's a foul right by our bench. The player is going for the ball but it felt like a foul. Their bench felt differently. I didn't see too much of it but the referee sent the managers off.”

Ex-ref's explanation

Forest were frustrated with the way the officials came to the decision to send off Gibbs-White. But former referee Dermot Gallagher believes the correct process was followed.

"I think what didn't help is that when the referee says he's got the ball, you think it is a really good tackle. Fourth official (Taylor) has got the other angle, he sees it coming towards him, and he says to the referee: 'I think it is worthy of a yellow card.' He's already on a yellow card, so he got sent off," Gallagher explained on Sky Sports' Ref Watch.

Clarifying if a fourth official is allowed to get involved as such, Gallagher added: "Yes, he's part of the team. That's what he is there for - to assist the referee. He has got the different view, the view coming towards it, and it was him that passed on the information because quite clearly the referee signals he's got the ball. He's passed on that information, the referee has acted on it and unfortunately he has already had a yellow card so he gets the second one."

What about the managers?

Neither assistant could offer an explanation as to why Nuno and Hurzeler were shown red cards. Rui said he did not hear Nuno say anything “that justified a red card”, although he did admit emotions were running high. Crofts also said he wasn’t sure why Hurzeler was dismissed and said: “I'll ask him when I see him.”

A statement on the Premier League Match Centre X account read: “The referee issued a second yellow card to Gibbs-White for a reckless challenge on Pedro. Fabian Hurzeler and Nuno Espirito Santo were both sent off for their unacceptable technical area behaviour following the incident. There was no VAR involvement in the Gibbs-White second yellow card as per VAR protocol.”

NottinghamshireLive’s verdict

Already on a booking, Gibbs-White undoubtedly gave the referee a decision to make with his challenge in front of the two benches - even if there is a case for saying he got the ball. What really rankled Forest, though, is the flip-flopping from Jones as he seemed to change his mind about the nature of the tackle.

It doesn’t help that Jones was already infamous among Reds fans for sending off Willy Boly last season. The defender went for an early bath against Bournemouth despite cleanly winning the ball in a tackle and actually being fouled himself.

Forest deserve great credit for seeing out the final minutes with 10 men on Sunday to earn a very good point. And you wouldn’t bet against them coming through against Fulham this weekend (Saturday, 3pm kick-off) despite being without talisman Gibbs-White.

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