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Nottingham Forest undecided on Premier League vote over VAR’s future

By Admin / May 28, 2024

Highlights

  • Nottingham Forest are undecided on whether they should vote to abolish VAR in the Premier League.
  • Forest were publicly critical of VAR Stuart Attwell earlier this season due to his association with Luton Town.
  • The Tricky Trees would’ve been three points worse off if VAR hadn’t been in use this season.


Ahead of the Premier League’s annual general meeting next month, Nottingham Forest are among the clubs yet to decide whether they support Wolves’ powerplay to scrap VAR.

On June 6, the vote will take place, with a two-thirds majority in favour of Wolves’ proposed resolution needed to pass it.

The Molineux outfit’s candid disapproval has drawn praise from rival clubs, with many agreeing change is needed. But while the West Midlands club’s six-page document called for drastic measures of abolition, it is expected that most Premier League clubs will vote against VAR’s termination.

And although Forest have fired shots at VAR themselves, they remain undecided whether VAR should be kept beyond the 2023/24 campaign or not, journalist Ben Jacobs exclusively reported to GIVEMESPORT.



How VAR has affected Nottingham Forest this season

Forest benefited from VAR in the 2023/24 Premier League campaign

Nottingham Forest VAR

A table without VAR for the 2023/24 season revealed that Nottingham Forest were one of VAR’s biggest beneficiaries last term. According to an independent panel, if the technology hadn’t been in use, Forest would have finished with three fewer points, with only goal difference separating themselves from Luton Town and a place in the relegation zone.

Nevertheless, the club were still caught in the eye of the storm of controversy. Most notably, they saw three penalty claims rejected in their 2-0 away defeat to Everton. At the time, the fixture presented itself as an important relegation six-pointer, and the decision not to give at least one of the Ashley Young challenges as a handball sparked widespread criticism of VAR.


Forest fuelled the kind of “conspiracy theory” Wolves referenced in their original statement when they directly took aim at video assistant referee Stuart Attwell following the defeat, and they too took the public approach to scrutinising the technology when the club vented its anger on their official X account minutes after the full-time whistle. The post read:

“Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we simply cannot accept. We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times. NFFC will now consider its options.”

Nonetheless, VAR’s positive impact on Forest’s season far outweighed the negative, according to projected points without technology.

What Nuno Espirito Santo said about VAR

The Forest manager was punished over his vocal criticism

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo arguing with the officials


Nuno Espirito Santo called the use of video technology ‘a mess’ and urged referees to take greater responsibility for their on-field decisions, doubling down on his club’s outward criticism of VAR. Quizzed after the Everton defeat, he said:

“I was supportive of VAR when it came in but maybe one day not too far in the future we will say football is better without VAR because it’s been a mess.

“My feeling is about referees not taking decisions on the pitch. They did before and they should do it again, with VAR coming after that. The other way around is a huge mistake for the game.”

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