The ”Luton fan” Forest were referring to in their statement was Stuart Attwell. And the club clearly took exception to the fact Attwell had been appointed as the VAR for the match.
After assessing the three penalty decisions in his column, Clattenburg added: “It was a hat-trick of howlers from the refereeing team and, unfortunately for Forest, a continuation of an unjust trend that has hampered their survival fight.
“You will have seen the statement released by the club – how the PGMOL were contacted to warn that it was not appropriate for a Luton fan such as Attwell to play such a pivotal role in a massive match that would impact the relegation race.
“Certainly, I would not have risked this situation if I were the head of the referees and all of this could have been avoided had the PGMOL simply made smarter appointments. Referees do not make mistakes deliberately but this was mind-boggling to watch. Why Attwell did not send [referee Anthony] Taylor to his screen, only he will know.”
