LONDON (AP) — An inflammatory post that got more than 46 million views on social media has proven very costly for Premier League soccer team Nottingham Forest.
Forest was fined 750,000 pounds ($980,000) on Friday after being found to have questioned the integrity of match officials in an “irresponsible" post on X in April.
Forest said it would appeal the decision.
The post in question was published soon after Forest’s 2-0 loss to Everton last season, criticizing the officials for three overruled penalty calls in the match between two teams fighting relegation. It claimed the video assistant referee (VAR), Stuart Attwell, was a fan of rival club, Luton, which was also fighting for survival in England's top division.
“Three extremely poor decisions — three penalties not given — which we simply cannot accept,” read the post on Forest's official X account, which went viral. “We warned the PGMOL (English soccer’s referees body) that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times.”
As well as imposing a fine, the independent panel also warned Forest about its future conduct.
While the sanction is big, the English Football Association (FA) wanted it to be even bigger. The governing body was seeking a fine of upwards of 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) to “reflect the seriousness of the misconduct.”
Forest said it was “particularly concerned” about the FA's desire for such a large fine to be imposed.
The panel said Atwell had written a statement describing his “stress, distress, fear and embarrassment” following the post.
The panel cited Forest's “reckless disregard to the consequences or impact of the post.”
It also noted a lack of apology from Forest or the removal of the post as “evidence of a lack of genuine remorse” from the club.
“This is relevant to the level of the financial penalty which we assess is necessary and proportionate in this case,” it said in its findings.
Forest said the fine and the FA's request for it to be greater was “wholly disproportionate”.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game with team-mates during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge in London, Sunday Oct. 6, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)
TURIN, Italy (AP) — There “could have been better communication” in explaining the rules involved in Jannik Sinner's doping case, ATP Tour chairman Andrea Gaudenzi acknowledged Thursday.
However, Gaudenzi said at the ATP Finals that anyone hinting that a “double standard” was applied because of top-ranked Sinner’s status is “unfair because the rules have been the same.”
Sinner is playing at home this week for the first time since it was announced before his U.S. Open title that he tested positive for an anabolic steroid in two separate drug tests in March.
The case wasn't made public until August.
“I learned the day before we all learned,” Gaudenzi said in his first public comments on the case. He spoke in a round-table discussion with international reporters.
“And to be honest, I’m happy about that. I really thank the ITA (International Testing Agency) and our representatives there for intentionally keeping me and our entire team in the dark because that’s how it should be.
“It should be completely independent and that was agreed by the (parties). It was a shock, but obviously comforted by the evidence afterward.”
A decision by an independent tribunal to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in September and the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is expected to make a final ruling on the case early next year.
Sinner’s explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger.
WADA is seeking a ban of one to two years for Sinner.
“We are completely external and it’s (an) independent process,” Gaudenzi said. “I generally think has been a fair process. It was really done by the book and by the rules. Maybe there could have been better communication in explaining those rules, and that is something that I would urge every party involved to work better in the next time.”
Gaudenzi said he plans to announce on Sunday the future host of the ATP Finals. The contract with Turin expires next year and there is an option to move the event to nearby Milan at a bigger arena being built for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
United States' Taylor Fritz serves the ball to Australia's Alex de Minaur during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Jannik Sinner holds the trophy as ATP world best player at the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. Sinner was presented with the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Jannik Sinner holds the trophy as ATP world best player at the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. Sinner was presented with the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to United States' Taylor Fritz during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)