Nottingham Forest have been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association over their extraordinary statement about VAR Stuart Attwell, on the day referee analyst Mark Clattenburg quit the club.
Forest issued a social media post minutes after the defeat to Everton on 21 April criticising the rejection of three penalty appeals, and claiming they had warned referees' body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that Attwell was a fan of relegation rivals Luton but nothing was done about it.
The FA has also charged Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo and full-back Neco Williams over their comments about the officiating, while issuing a formal warning to Clattenburg hours after he announced his resignation.
The FA alleged the comments by Forest, Nuno and Williams "constitute improper conduct in that they imply bias and/or question the integrity of the match officials and/or bring the game into disrepute".
The club, Nuno and Williams have until 9 May to respond, the FA said.
The Premier League is also investigating the Forest post on Attwell under its rules, having put out a statement saying it was "extremely disappointed" by it.
Despite that, Forest doubled down and issued a further statement urging PGMOL to consider "contextual rivalries" when making match appointments.
Earlier this week PGMOL chief refereeing officer Howard Webb admitted Attwell should have advised on-field referee Anthony Taylor to check the third of the appeals – for a challenge by Ashley Young on Callum Hudson-Odoi – on the monitor.
Webb said there would probably have been "a different outcome" if that had happened.
Nuno was asked after the Everton game whether he thought it was appropriate for the club to complain about the appointment of officials before a match, and said: "I prefer not to answer if it is appropriate.
"It’s a feeling and trying to avoid what happened today and not raise any more suspicions or thoughts that no one wants. It is about preventing."
Forest defender Williams told Sky Sports he thought any of the top six teams would be "getting every single one" of the penalty claims.
Earlier on Friday, Clattenburg announced he was leaving his consultancy role, saying he had felt he had become "more of a hindrance than a help" to Forest and that offering his services to the club had led to "unintended friction" between the club and "other participants".
Even before the Everton incident, Clattenburg had spoken to journalists in the mixed zone after Forest’s defeat to Liverpool to highlight the error in law made by referee Paul Tierney in awarding a drop ball to the Merseysiders when Forest were in possession.
He wrote in the Daily Mail that the decisions made by Taylor and Attwell in the Everton game were "mind-boggling" to watch.
"Why Attwell did not send Taylor to his screen, only he will know."
It is understood Clattenburg had contacted PGMOL prior to the match to seek advice on how manager Nuno Espirito Santo should respond if journalists asked him about Attwell's affiliations, but that no request or suggestion was made by Clattenburg to move Attwell off the fixture.
Former Premier League official Clattenburg said: "Since February this year, I have been proud to have done so under a consultancy agreement between NFFC and Referee Consultant Ltd.
"I performed my services under the consultancy agreement in good faith, to the best of my abilities and in the hope of using my extensive experience as a match official to help NFFC understand how decisions in relation to key match incidents are made amid the workings of VAR.
"However, it is now clear that the existence and performance of these consultancy services has caused unintended friction between NFFC and other participants, to the extent that it has become more of a hindrance than help to NFFC. It has also led to the unmerited targeting of me, personally, by certain participants and pundits.
"Such reactions and outcome was not expected and is regrettable, as it is my sincere belief that there is a place for and value in such a role in the modern game.
"I am grateful to NFFC and wish them all the best during the remainder of the season and in the future. It’s been an honour."
Club sources said at the time of Clattenburg’s appointment they hoped he could become a 'conduit’ between the club and referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). It was understood to be the first such appointment of its kind in the English game.
