Nottingham Forest insist it’s a coincidence they’re looking for a new social media manager – just days after being hit with a £750,000 fine following stunning online attack on VAR official

Nottingham Forest – fresh from a £750,000 fine for an astonishing online attack on a VAR official – are advertising for a social media manager. 

The Premier League side were given the hefty punishment after singling out Stuart Attwell in an extraordinary post following a 2-0 defeat to Everton. 

On their official X account, they claimed the VAR referee was a fan of Luton Town, who were also battling relegation at the time, after no fewer than three penalty decisions went against them during their April fixture with the Toffees. 

The Football Association, infuriated by what they branded an ‘attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale’, hit Forest with a fine the club have since branded ‘wholly disproportionate’ and against which they have said they will appeal. 

In a searing ruling issued earlier this month, Forest were also warned by a panel over their conduct, with the independent commission finding a ‘clear evidence of a lack of genuine remorse’ and that Attwell was the clear ‘victim’ of the ‘ill-chosen and irresponsible’ post. 

They lashed out at VAR official Stuart Attwell (pictured) on social media after the game

The club were recently fined for the outburst, and Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is now looking to appoint a new social media manager

In the aftermath of what was, at the time, a potentially damaging loss, they had posted: ‘Three extremely poor decisions — three penalties not given — which we simply cannot accept. 

‘We warned the (refs’ body) PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times. NFFC will now consider its options.’ 

Forest are now seeking a ‘senior social media manager’, who ‘will be responsible for the overall delivery of highly engaging, on-trend content’ and oversee three members of staff. 

Club insiders insist the timing of the ad is ‘entirely coincidental’ and is a role that had been in the pipeline for some time. The successful candidate will ‘flawlessly execute the club’s social media vision and content strategy’ and ‘execute a comprehensive publishing strategy aligned with the club’s overarching content strategy’. 

They will also possess an ‘in-depth knowledge of social media platforms, trends, and best practices’. 

Forest issued the post on X around five minutes after full-time at Goodison Park, with the club left a point above the relegation zone. 

The Key Match Incident Panel, which reviews decisions after each round of fixtures, found they should have been awarded a penalty for an Ashley Young challenge on Callum Hudson-Odoi.