Jonathan Laidlaw KC and Amina Graham represented The FA in an appeal brought by Nottingham Forest FC against a Regulatory Commission’s decision to impose a £750,000 fine against the club for a breach of The FA’s social media Rules. The fine was imposed in respect of the club’s tweet on X (formerly Twitter) which alleged bias against a VAR official. The fine represented The FA’s highest ever financial penalty imposed against a club.
The club appealed against the decision on both liability and sanction. In dismissing both grounds of appeal, the Appeal Board stated that “a heavy penalty was entirely merited for this very serious offence…[t]o allege that a Match Official’s decision is infected by actual bias against or in favour of one of the teams is an allegation of behaviour that undermines the foundations on which competitive sport is based.”
The Appeal Board also took the unprecedented step of ordering the club to remove the offending post, which had remained on the club’s X account throughout the duration of the disciplinary proceedings.
The written reasons can be found here.
Media Links: BBC News
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