Nuno has said Nottingham Forest “have to trust” referees to get big decisions right this season, as he seeks to control his own criticisms.
Forest manager Nuno and defender Neco Williams were fined and warned by the FA for their criticism of officials after last season’s defeat by Everton. Nuno was fined £40,000 and banned for one game, a suspension that lasts until 31 May 2026, while Williams was fined £24,000.
In April, Nuno said he was “not happy” with the officials’ performance after Forest lost 2-0 at Goodison Park, where there were three potential penalty appeals turned down, with Williams expressing similar views.
Nuno has since spoken to PGMOL chief Howard Webb this summer, and the former Wolves and Tottenham boss addressed his past criticism of referees just hours before he received his punishment.
Asked whether he would complain about decisions this season, Nuno said: “Hopefully not, to be honest. We had a good meeting with the other managers, and he [Webb] explained in detail the changes they want to implement. Hopefully the decisions will be quicker, more precise, and I’m confident about that.”
“After the meeting we had, I’m very confident that things will improve, not just for Nottingham Forest, but for the Premier League as a whole. They are trying to improve. We have to trust the referees.”
There has been no ruling yet on the charges against Forest for their angry statement following the Everton match, which was released minutes after the game and was watched more than 45 million times on social media.
Forest begin their 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a trip to Bournemouth on Saturday.
Nuno also spoke about the officials in his pre-match press conference: “When you see the desire of people to improve when they tell you and they communicate with you, we have to trust them, as a club we have to trust them.”
The Premier League is understood to have been in discussions with clubs and managers about how public criticism of the VAR system undermines the game, and is placing a new emphasis on how to regulate such comments, BBC Sport understands. Sources have told BBC Sport that the Premier League believes accusing VAR has become too easy and a way of deflecting criticism.
In June, Premier League clubs voted 19-1 to keep VAR, after Wolves formally proposed its abolition in May, prompting the vote. Fourteen votes were needed from the 20 Premier League clubs to scrap VAR, but only Wolves were in favour of the proposal.
There are a number of changes being implemented this season to reduce delays in games, including the planned introduction of semi-automated offside technology in October.
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