Mark Clattenburg has stepped down from his role at Nottingham Forest (Image: Getty)
Mark Clattenburg has resigned from his position as a referee consultant to Nottingham Forest. The Premier League side appointed the former top-flight referee as an analyst in February but his spell has lasted just 77 days.
The Midlands outfit felt they should have had three penalties during their 2-0 defeat by Everton and aimed an unprecedented tirade at the PGMOL on social media. The Premier League’s independent Key Match Incidents Panel found that only one of the complaints, a possible foul by Ashley Young, should have resulted in a spot-kick.
Forest have claimed that Attwell, who was on VAR duty for the game, is a supporter of relegation rivals Luton Town. Clattenburg claimed that Forest had contacted the PGMOL to warn them of this, suggesting it risked a conflict of interest.
Nottingham Forest felt they were denied three penalties in their defeat against Everton last month (Image: Getty)
He has now stepped down from his position, writing in a statement: “Since February this year, I have been proud to have [worked for Forest] under a consultancy agreement between NFFC and Referee Consultant Ltd.
“I performed my services under the consultancy agreement in good faith, to the best of my abilities and in the hope of using my extensive experience as a match official to help NFFC understand how decisions in relation to key match incidents are made amid the workings of VAR.
“However, it is now clear that the existence and performance of these consultancy services has caused unintended friction between NFFC and other participants, to the extent that it has become more of a hindrance than help to NFFC. It has also led to the unmerited targeting of me, personally, by certain participants and pundits.
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“Such reactions and outcome was not expected and is regrettable, as it is my sincere belief that there is a place for and value in such a role in the modern game.
“I am grateful to NFFC and wish them all the best during the remainder of the season and in the future. It’s been an honour.”
The Football Association are investigating a string of tweets made by Forest after the game, as well as comments made by manager Nuno Espirito Santo and defender Neco Williams. Clattenburg has also been asked to explain the contents of a newspaper column he wrote in the aftermath.