Nottingham Forest manager Steven Reid has been penalized by the Football Association for verbally abusing referee Paul Tierney following their defeat to Liverpool.
Reid has been handed a two-match ban and fined £5,000 for his inappropriate conduct towards Tierney, which occurred after Darwin Nunez scored the winning goal deep into stoppage time at City Ground on March 2nd.
Additionally, Nottingham Forest has been fined £75,000 for failing to control their players and staff from behaving improperly after the final whistle.
The incident arose from a controversial decision by Tierney to award possession back to Liverpool via a drop-ball, despite Nottingham Forest having possession before play was halted due to a head injury to Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate.
Mark Clattenburg, a former Premier League referee and currently working as Forest’s referee analyst, criticised the decision and told BBC Radio 5: “If the referee stops the game, he has to give the ball back to the team in possession. That was Forest.”
Tierney mentioned about the incident in his match report and wrote: “Following the final whistle I was surrounded by members of Nottingham Forest’s substitutes and backroom staff on the field of play. One of those who approached me was Steven Reid, who was not listed on the teamsheet.
He asked me about a decision and I said to him that I would speak to him inside and not outside on the field of play. He then continued to question me and I repeated that I would speak to him inside. He then said, ‘It’s the same every week, you [expletive]’.”
After referee Tierney showed Reid a red card for his remarks, Reid admitted to using abusive language initially but denied using it further after being sent off.
However, Tierney and the assistant referees reported Reid’s continued swearing and confrontational behavior as they exited the field, leading to the confirmation of the charges against him.
Forest acknowledged that owner Evangelos Marinakis approached Tierney after the match but dismissed reports of any altercation requiring intervention.
This is not the first time Forest has faced penalties for misconduct towards match officials. Over the past 18 months, the club has been involved in similar incidents on three previous occasions, raising concerns about their disciplinary behavior. In conclusion, the regulatory commission warned Forest that future breaches of the rules may result in more severe consequences.