The club posted the tweet following their 21 April 2024 defeat to Everton, where Attwell, serving as VAR, opted against awarding Forest three penalties. ' They also pointed out that Attwell was a supporter of Luton Town, their direct rivals in the relegation battle at the time, adding: 'We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn't change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times.
' A regulatory commission later ruled the tweet alleged possible bias, leading to the fine. According to multiple reports, Attwell has been barred from officiating Nottingham Forest matches for the past two years, though the specific reasons or official justification for this exclusion have not been publicly disclosed. In January, he was scheduled to serve as fourth official for Forest's FA Cup third-round tie at Wrexham but was replaced by Darren England without any public announcement.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have policies in place, ratified in August 2024, governing the appointment of referees to guard against potential conflicts of interest. It remains unclear how these policies apply to Attwell's case or when the PGMOL intends to reintroduce him to Forest matches. Attwell is not the first referee to be withdrawn from officiating a particular club; examples include Mark Clattenburg with Everton and Martin Atkinson with Manchester United.
Whether Attwell's exclusion is a formal PGMOL policy or an informal arrangement, and if there have been other similar cases under the new policies, are questions that have not been addressed by officials.