Nottingham Forest have asked for the VAR audio as they consider making a formal complaint following the defeat by Manchester City.
The club are extremely unhappy with referee Rob Jones’ decisions during Saturday’s 2-1 loss at the City Ground.
Forest have gone to the referees’ body – the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) – to ask to hear the conversations between on-pitch officials and the video assistant referee team during key moments of the match.
Head coach Sean Dyche felt Rayan Cherki’s 83rd-minute winner should have been ruled out for a foul on Morgan Gibbs-White, and that Jones should have shown City defender Ruben Dias a second yellow card after the break.
«Such an easy game to referee, in my opinion, such an easy decision for VAR,» Dyche said on Saturday.
«When you played so well, to come in and have to talk about officials affecting the game – but they clearly did.
«Everyone in the stadium and everyone watching at home could see that.»
Forest players complained to referee Jones, arguing Gibbs-White had been pushed by Nico O’Reilly while defending a corner and therefore stopped from blocking Cherki’s winner.
«Morgan Gibbs-White quite clearly gets pushed to the floor and the same player is involved in blocking the ball,» Dyche said.
«But he can’t block it because as he jumps up, it goes through the bit of his body which he would have blocked it with. Whichever way you look at it, it’s a foul.»
The VAR checked the goal but allowed Jones’ on-field decision to stand. Defeat left Forest five points above the Premier League’s relegation zone.
The PGMOL has previously played audio privately to clubs – including Forest – while PGMOL chief refereeing officer Howard Webb also discusses incidents on the Mic’d Up programme.
Regarding City’s decisive goal, Dyche added: «They’ll say, ‘Yeah, the ball wasn’t there’. And you go, ‘OK, so if the ball’s not near the keeper and you push the keeper to the floor, is that going to be a foul then?’
«We all know it is. I can’t work it out. And then they score from it, which is the double whammy.
«I’m a big fan of VAR – I can’t work out how you can’t get that right.»
Former official Darren Cann told BBC Match of the Day: «The video assistant referee naturally checked the goal and concluded that no ‘clear and obvious’ error was made. I agree.
«This was a decision that will split views – some will agree it’s a good goal and others will think it was a foul. Therefore the ‘referee’s call’ of goal should stand.»
Forest have previously been unhappy with Jones when he sent off Willy Boly against Bournemouth two years ago which prompted then-boss Nuno Espirito Santo to call for VAR to intervene on second yellow cards.
Last season, Jones sent off Nuno for dissent at Brighton with the Portuguese charged by the Football Association.
Related topics
- Nottingham Forest
- Premier League
- Manchester City
- Football
