Nottingham Forest has expressed significant concerns regarding referee Rob Jones due to multiple contentious decisions affecting the club. In December 2023, during a match against AFC Bournemouth, Jones issued a second yellow card to defender Willy Boly for a tackle on Adam Smith, despite replays indicating Boly cleanly won the ball. This decision, which couldn’t be reviewed by VAR due to the nature of the card, led to Forest lodging a formal complaint with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and requesting that Jones be barred from officiating their future matches. citeturn0search3
Earlier that season, in August 2023, Jones served as the VAR during Forest’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester United. In that match, he supported on-field referee Stuart Attwell in two controversial decisions: the sending off of Joe Worrall for a foul on Bruno Fernandes, despite another defender seemingly covering, and awarding a decisive penalty to United after minimal contact between Danilo and Marcus Rashford. These incidents prompted Forest to file an initial complaint against Jones with the PGMOL. citeturn0search12
Additionally, in November 2024, during a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, Jones reversed his initial decision and issued a second yellow card to Morgan Gibbs-White for a tackle on João Pedro. This reversal led to heated reactions, resulting in the ejection of both teams’ managers. citeturn0news14
These incidents have fueled Nottingham Forest’s dissatisfaction with Rob Jones’s officiating, leading to formal complaints and requests for his suspension from their future matches.
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