Nottingham Forest has lost its appeal against a £750,000 fine for a social media post last season that criticized Premier League referee Stuart Attwell.
The club made the post in April after a 2-0 loss to Everton, claiming they had been denied three penalties. Forest also alleged that Attwell, the video assistant referee for the match, was a supporter of their relegation rivals, Luton Town.
The Football Association (FA) described the post as a serious and public attack on referees. In October, an independent commission imposed the fine, which Forest argued was excessive. However, on Monday, the FA confirmed that the appeal board upheld the punishment and ordered the post to be removed.
In its ruling, the appeal board stated that Nottingham Forest had no mitigating factors and that the fine served as a necessary deterrent.
Forest managed to avoid relegation last season, while Luton went down to the Championship. Currently, Forest is third in the Premier League and competing for a Champions League spot.
