Reid Penalized for Verbal Attack on Referee
Nottingham Forest first-team coach Steven Reid has been given an extended two-match touchline ban and fined £5,000 after being found guilty of misconduct by the Football Association. The incident occurred following Forest’s defeat by Liverpool earlier this month when Reid confronted referee Paul Tierney.
Forest have also been fined £75,000 for their part in the incident. The Premier League side was punished for failing to ensure their players and technical staff “did not behave in an improper way after the final whistle”. The club admitted the charge. It is the fourth time in 18 months that Forest has faced a sanction for surrounding a match official.
The incident in question took place after Darwin Nunez’s 99th-minute winner at the City Ground. Forest had control of the ball outside the penalty area when the game was stopped due to a head injury to Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate in second-half stoppage time. The home side was left incensed by Tierney’s decision to hand possession back to Liverpool via a drop-ball, from which Nunez went on to score – albeit almost two minutes after the game re-started.
Mark Clattenburg, Forest’s referee analyst, criticized the decision post-match, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “If the referee stops the game, he has to give the ball back to the team in possession. That was Forest.” However, Tierney’s report of the incident provided a different perspective. He stated that after the final whistle, he was surrounded by members of Nottingham Forest’s substitutes and backroom staff on the field of play. One of those who approached him was Steven Reid, who was not listed on the teamsheet. Reid questioned Tierney about a decision, to which Tierney responded that he would speak to him inside and not outside on the field of play. Reid then allegedly used an expletive phrase towards Tierney, resulting in a red card.
Reid admitted that his comment was abusive and insulting but denied using such language towards Tierney after being sent off. However, Tierney and reports from the assistant referees stated that Reid continued to swear and call him the expletive term at least twice more as they left the field of play. The charge was proven.
After the match, Forest confirmed that their owner, Evangelos Marinakis, did approach Tierney but dismissed reports that he had to be restrained. The regulatory commission that imposed the latest sanction warned that “future breaches of the rules may be treated more severely.”
This incident highlights the importance of respecting match officials and maintaining proper conduct on and off the field. Such behavior not only reflects poorly on the individuals involved but also on the club as a whole. Nottingham Forest must learn from this incident and ensure that their players and staff adhere to the highest standards of sportsmanship in the future.