Gary Nevillle in hot water! Nottingham Forest consider suing Sky Sports amid Man Utd legend's 'mafia gang' comments amid VAR controversy following Everton defeat

After Neville publicly called out Forest's controversial statement calling into question the integrity of VAR official Stuart Attwell, the club are now weighing up their response. According to the Daily Mail, that could be in the form of legal action, with Forest's legal department said to be drafting a letter to Sky concerning what Neville said.

Within minutes of the full-time whistle ending Sunday's Premier League defeat to Everton, during which three penalty appeals were turned down, a Forest statement posted on X claimed that the club had "warned" refereeing body PGMOL about VAR official Attwell being a fan of relegation rivals Luton ahead of the game. Neville didn't take kindly to the statement, while the Premier League and the FA are each investigating Forest's actions.

"It's like a mafia gang statement, honestly," Neville said, analysing the situation for Sky Sports. "I mean what are they playing at? Look, I think anybody and everybody would have empathy and some sympathy for Forest this season with some of the decisions that they've had. The statement is like a petulant child. It's embarrassing. But they're grabbing defeat from victory. They could say, 'Why should we sit here and be badly done to and not say anything'. You can potentially come out at the end of the game - and the manager is a great spokesman at the end of the game, so is your captain - and say that we're not accepting the quality of decisions that are going against us, and that would have a real impact.

"Today has been a horrendous day for Nottingham Forest. Possibly horrendous because of the decisions that they've had, but horrendous for how they've reacted to the situation. To mention the VAR official as being a Luton fan and inferring in some way that's had an impact on the decision-making process and suggesting to me as a fan, thinking 'Has he cheated us', you're into really dangerous territory."

He added: "Mark Clattenberg must resign tonight. If he saw those words go out in which they question the integrity of a referee and claim someone is a cheat for supporting another club, then he's supporting what is being said. He would lose all credibility with referees in the game. He should stand down tonight and distance himself from that statement."

The Mail report adds that Forest accept they "acted emotionally and with haste" with the statement. However, a further and much lengthier statement on Monday evening called on PGMOL to alter its rules on referee allegiances - the team they may support or have local ties with - to include what the club dubbed "contextual rivalries", such as that between Forest and Luton as they battles against each other to stay in the Premier League.

One point and one place above the bottom three, Forest, who have been deducted four points for breaching financial rules, still have their top flight status in their own hands. Two of their four remaining fixtures are against teams in the relegation zone - Sheffield United and Burnley - although they must also face Manchester City and an improving Chelsea too. They could yet end the season with a fine as a result of this saga.