Nuno Espirito Santo has moved to explain Nottingham Forest’s appointment of Mark Clattenburg as a referee analyst, saying his role will be to help players and staff understand contentious decisions.
Forest have felt aggrieved by several decisions recently, most notably when Taiwo Awoniyi was denied a penalty despite appearing to be felled by Martin Dubravka during a 3-2 defeat to Newcastle United.
They also felt they should have been awarded a spot-kick in last week’s 2-0 win over West Ham, when Maxwel Cornet stepped on Neco Williams’ ankle inside the area.
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Last week, Forest appointed Clattenburg – who officiated in the Premier League for 13 years and refereed the Champions League and European Championship finals in 2016 – as a referee analyst.
Many onlookers were left bemused by Clattenburg’s new role, but Nuno says his main task will be to advise the coaching and playing staff on why certain decisions were made.
Speaking at a press conference to preview Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa, Nuno said: “Appointing Mark was to try and understand some of the decisions that have been made, understanding the interpretation of the referee and the VAR.
Working towards the weekend ???? pic.twitter.com/NDXB5GXFt7
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) February 23, 2024
“We had an incident against West Ham that was clear, we needed the referee or the VAR to make the right decision because in my opinion, it was a clear penalty.
“So it’s about trying to understand some of the decisions. We met and we are going to meet again.
“It is just about hoping the decisions come back right, that’s what all the clubs want.”
Forest travel to Villa Park four points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone, though they still have the spectre of a Premier League charge for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules hanging over them.
