Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has been fined after accepting a Football Association charge of “improper conduct”.
The Welshman was charged by the FA following comments about referee Thomas Bramall after the Reds’ 1-0 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers last month. He admitted his post-match interviews “implied bias” against the official, and he has been fined £8,000 as a result.
A statement from the FA said: “Steve Cooper has been fined £8,000 for breaching FA Rule E3.1 after Nottingham Forest FC’s match against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC in the Premier League on Saturday 15 October 2022. The manager admitted that his comments during post-match interviews constitute improper conduct as they imply bias, question the integrity of the referee and bring the game into disrepute. An independent Regulatory Commission imposed his sanction during a subsequent hearing and its written reasons will be published in due course.”
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The match at Molineux was decided by a Ruben Neves penalty and wasn’t without controversy. Wolves’ spot-kick was awarded after Bramall went to his pitchside monitor, following a lengthy VAR check, with Harry Toffolo penalised for a handball. A similar incident in the first half, however, saw nothing given when a Neco Williams shot was blocked.
Forest did get a penalty late on, after another considerable stoppage for VAR, when Matheus Nunes was punished for a foul on Ryan Yates. But Brennan Johnson’s effort was saved by Jose Sa.
Afterwards, Cooper admitted he was left “biting his tongue” over the referee’s performance. “We know the referee well from last season. We had him in the Championship,” he said at the time. “We know the differences of what you can get with him. So we knew that was part of what we had to deal with today.”
The Forest head coach has since reflected on the challenges managers face in trying to control their emotions during and after games. “It is difficult for everybody involved - supporters, managers, players. I do my very best to try to stay in control, whatever emotions you are feeling,” he said.
“In general, I like to think I am okay at that. You aim to be a good version of yourself, as much as you can be.
“They are emotional jobs; they take you to places you might not have felt before. But you try to stay true to yourself, what you believe in and what you think is right.
“Sometimes that might mean standing up for your club or for your team, or something that you may do or say, and that is how it is. Game in, game out you try to be at your best.”
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