Nottingham Forest Seeks Clarification from Howard Webb Over Controversial Toney Goal Incident

Nottingham Forest has formally communicated with refereeing chief Howard Webb seeking clarification regarding the controversial circumstances surrounding Ivan Toney’s first-half goal in their 3-2 defeat against Brentford on Saturday. Toney’s free-kick, which leveled the score at 1-1, involved moving the ball and erasing the referee’s vanishing foam as he set up the wall. Despite Toney’s claim of being allowed to shift the ball within certain limits, Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo contended that the ball was visibly “displaced.”

Referee Darren England and other on-pitch officials did not rectify the situation before Toney’s goal, and Forest is questioning why VAR did not intervene. Forest, aiming to address what they perceive as a “serious missed incident” leading to a goal, has written to Webb, who heads the officiating body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).

BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton expressed skepticism about Forest’s approach, urging the team to take responsibility for the situation. Gary Neville, former England and Manchester United defender, criticized the practice of clubs writing to PGMOL publicly. Neville emphasized the need for collaboration between clubs and referees to enhance officiating standards, deeming public posturing as unnecessary and counterproductive.