Aina's Forest set to receive heavy payment from FA after legal battle victory

Nottingham Forest is set to receive a six-figure sum after winning a landmark legal case against the Football Association (FA) over claims of "bias" on its disciplinary panel.

Forest was initially fined by the FA for a tweet targeting VAR following their controversial 2-0 defeat to Everton last April. The tweet accused one of the VAR officials of being a Luton Town fan, a club Forest was competing with to avoid relegation.

The tweet read: "Three extremely poor decisions - three penalties not given - which we simply cannot accept. We warned the 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 was charged with bringing the game into disrepute for the tweet, which garnered 40 million views. The FA initially sought to fine Evangelos Marinakis's club £1 million before eventually reducing it to £750,000.

The club protested the hefty sum, arguing it was unjustified and that the FA was acting unfairly. However, Graeme McPherson, chairman of the FA's disciplinary commission, dismissed what he termed their "somewhat hysterical submission."

When the club appealed, McPherson was again selected to chair the proceedings, a move Forest objected to due to his previous comments. He later recused himself, citing "commitments."

In a separate incident, Forest was fined £125,000 following a mass confrontation during a match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and the club appealed.

They were stunned when McPherson was chosen to preside over the appeal and argued he should be removed on grounds of bias, following his "hysteria" comment.

The hearing on the matter concluded in Forest's favour, with the panel ruling that McPherson's previous comments could be seen as "unjustified, inappropriate, and perceived as a personal attack." It added that McPherson "displays apparent bias in relation to the club" and should not have been involved in the Chelsea case appeal.

"There is no doubt that the description... 'somewhat hysterical' would be considered by the hypothetical fair-minded and informed observer as an unjustified, inappropriate, and personal attack on the club and its legal representatives," the ruling stated.

"A fair-minded and informed person would conclude that there was a real possibility that Mr. McPherson was biased against the club."

"The Tribunal has no doubt that Mr. McPherson displays apparent bias in relation to the club, and that this bias arises from disciplinary proceedings brought by the FA against the club, and by extension, he should not have been involved in the tribunal hearing the Chelsea case."

The FA must now find a new chairperson for the commission and has been ordered to pay £105,750 plus VAT for court costs, a sum which also covers Forest's legal expenses, as reported by Sportal.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo has claimed he was disappointed by his team's performance after losing 3-0 against West Ham.