Sport

VAR audio requested as Nottingham Forest prepare complaint after Man City defeat

The club are said to have been left deeply frustrated.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 30th December 2025

Nottingham Forest have requested that the VAR audio from their game against Manchester City be released, as they are considering launching a formal complaint following the defeat.

Forest hosted Man City at home this past weekend and went on to lose 2-1.

However, Sean Dyche’s side are said to be ‘extremely unhappy’ with some of the refereeing decisions made by first official, Rob Jones, on the day.

As a result, they are now asking the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to share some of the conversations between on-pitch officials and the VAR team at Stockley Park in West London.

As you can see, Dyche initially said that “there’s no point” in pushing the refs on their performance, as he feels they usually only “get in trouble”, but it looks as though his employers have advocated for him.

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Nottingham Forest had a problem with the final call in a number of instances during the festive fixture on Saturday, 27 December, but none more so than in one key moment.

The manager and his coaching team felt that Rayan Cherki’s 83rd-minute winner should have been cancelled out following a foul by Nico O’Reilly on Morgan Gibbs-White in the preceding corner, which may have prevented Cherki from scoring another decisive finish.

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Dyche also argued that another City defender, Ruben Dias, was due a second yellow card and therefore dismissal from the pitch for a challenge after the break, but there was ultimately nothing doing.

You can see the collision here:

According to Sky Sports News, Nottingham have already requested more information from the refereeing body, with this not being the first time they’ve felt hard done by.

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As they put it, the hope/belief is that raising the issue could help “start a broader discussion around officiating this season.”

What do you make of Forest’s concerns against Manchester City, and do you think they’re worthy of launching an official complaint against the PGMOL and Premier League?

You can see the highlights from the game and perhaps decide for yourself down below.

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Featured Images — TNT Sports (screenshot via YouTube)/The Manc Group

Sport

Manchester United Women have signed a new Swedish international defender

Danny Jones Danny Jones Man United Women's team sign new defender

Manchester United Women have announced that the club has reached an agreement for the signing of Swedish international defender Hanna Lundkvist.

Having just departed American outfit San Diego Wave FC last week, Hanna Lundkvist is set to become a Man United and Women’s Super League (WSL) player on 1 January 2026.

Leaving the US after more than a year in the National Women’s Soccer League – Lundkvist signed for San Diego back in February 2024 – she

At just 23 and having already made 17 appearances for her country, including every game at the most recent Women’s Euros, she’s a highly-rated European prospect.

With the club already confirming the deal ahead of being fully unveiled as an official United Women’s signing, she will be the fourth member of the Sweden national setup in the squad after Anna Sandberg, Fridolina Rolfo and Julia Zigiotti Olme.

The ex-AIK and Hammarby IF youth is also set to face another one of her former teams, Atlético Madrid, in the growing Greater Manchester side’s knockout phase play-off fixture in the UEFA Women’s Champions League (WCL) this coming February.

Making it through to the next stage after beating fellow group qualifiers Juventus earlier this month, it remains to be seen how far Marc Skinner‘s side will go in their debut WCL campaign.

Her arrival is the first in what Skinner has already built up as an “aggressive” period of recruitment in the New Year, with the women’s transfer window set to close on Tuesday, 3 February, just a day after the male equivalent does.

As for Lundkvist, she’s already been given the seal of approval by her coach and the club, even being given a big defensive number.

Putting pen to paper on a contract until 2029, Lundkvist said in a statement: “I am really excited to be here; Manchester United is a club with an amazing history. You can feel how much they have grown in the last few years, competing in one of the strongest leagues in the world and performing in the WCL.

“Speaking with Marc and the coaches confirmed all of the great things I have heard about the culture of the team here. I cannot wait to get started and help the group to achieve more success.”

Director of women’s football at Man United, Matt Johnson, went on to add: “We are delighted to have signed a player with excellent experience at both club and international level at such a young age.

“Hanna will add further quality and energy to our defence; her determination and attitude will really help the group as we continue to compete across domestic and European competitions.”

Over in the blue half of Manchester, another youngster is reportedly heading out on his second loan spell in the January transfer window.

Manchester City youngster Claudio Echeverri set for another loan spell

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Featured Images — LasColchoneras (via Wikimedia Commons)/Manchester United Women (via X)

Sport

Interview | New Salford rugby league co-owner Mason Caton-Brown on the future of phoenix club

Danny Jones Danny Jones Interview with new Salford Red Devils rugby league club co-owner Mason Caton-Brown

This month, we had the privilege of conducting an interview with the new co-owner of Salford RLFC and ex-Red Devils star, Mason Caton-Brown, who is part of the ‘Phoenix Bid’ consortium helping bring back the rugby league club.

A former winger turned entrepreneur, Mason Caton-Brown is now a joint director within the organisation alongside two other main business partners – one of whom he says is responsible for spearheading the resurrection in the first place.

That man is Paul Hancock – a native Salfordian and die-hard Red Devils fan for more than three decades – whose company, PH Services, has already sponsored the local sporting institution for several years.

Mason told us that, as well as having followed their financial struggles in recent times, he has been speaking to Hancock regularly for some time now, with the latter suggesting the prospect of stepping in to salvage the situation in the last couple of months.

RFL give the go-ahead for a new Salford rugby league team
They should be back up and running in time for the 2026 rugby league season.

“We’d just been casually speaking about it up until about five or six weeks ago”, says the Enfield-born athlete and businessman.

“We wanted to try and come up with a solution of what we could do to try and help, so we put together a group of people, and since then, it’s been late nights and early mornings every day, putting together this plan and a group of people that can you know rebuild Salford in a way where the city can be proud of it.”

Stressing the importance of building a “sustainable” strategy – as opposed to the false promises of the previous ‘investors’ who failed to rescue the club – it’s clear the consortium has a core group of principles they’re looking to stick by.

But Mason was quick to share credit and recognise that “it was Paul’s idea.”

“He’d been sitting on it for a while now, just thinking in his mind of how to try and save the club, to help them however he could. And yeah: he reached out; we were meeting for other business things, and he put it to me, and I said ‘definitely’.

“I think it’s not just about having an ex-player in there either, there are other people involved as well. It’s the fans; they are supporters who have been following this club for 20-odd years. They’re the other members in this group, and fundamentally, it’s going to be a transparent, honest club.”

For example, another previous Red Devil and one-time captain, Ryan Brierley, has also returned to the club as the new CEO of Salford’s rugby league phoenix club.

For me personally”, Mason continued, “it’s a bit of a dream come true to be able to be a part of a club as a player, and now being able to help rebuild is kind of a dream.

“I moved up here as a 21-year-old kid, fresh-faced player; I still have a house in the area, and I still live in the city, and it kind of just embraced me. I was from London, so obviously a big capital city, and I came to Salford, and I was welcomed with open arms.

“The people, the club and the wider community helped me become who I am today; I have my businesses there as well, so it’s a big part of my life, and to be back involved with the club is just brilliant.”

The conversation quickly moved on to what’s next for the club and, specifically, the prospect of rebranding and potentially even a new name for Salford’s rugby league side.

After all, the ‘phoenix’ motif and wider concept are already right there for the taking.

However, if there was ever any doubt among any part of the fan base that the 32-year-old is, indeed, a business person these days and experienced enough in this department, that was quickly snuffed out in his response.

mason caton-brown businesses
mason caton brown new salford rubgy league club
He’s even more committed to the club than his days as a teammate. (Credit: Supplied via Rumpus PR)

Mason was pretty tight-lipped when pressed on the notion of a new badge and possibly even a new name for the 152-year-old team, and rightly so – put simply, he says, “We want to get it right.”

“So, obviously, we’re going to stay Salfordian at the centre of everything, and we don’t want to just announce something; it will still be a Salford club.”

He took a similar tack when asked about the staff and a new squad. Despite the Phoenix Bid having already assured pre-agreements with a head coach and several players, he wouldn’t budge on any names or hints, simply stating that the group plans to make some announcements before the New Year.

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“Our first aim is stability and security”, he says. “Putting the fans first, bringing the fans back together, and just building something that the fans can be proud of. Locally, it’ll be good to get the community involved, and long term, obviously, our goal is to get the club back into the Super League.

“That would be an amazing story for the club. We’ve seen it happen with other clubs like Bradford [Bulls] and Hull KR, so that’s there, but for now we want to steady, get the supporters involved and provide value for he fans.

Citing that first game back and returning to Championship level against regional rivals Oldham RLFC, they’re hoping to make it “a real celebration.”

Sharing a statement via their new social media account, SRLFC wrote: “The hard work starts now. We’ve promised to build a strong, sustainable future for rugby league in Salford, one that protects our heritage and ensures the next generation has a club to be proud of.

“We know how much this club means. We’ve all felt the highs, the heartbreaks, and the hope. That’s why this moment matters so much because together, we get to start again. Our plan is simple: honesty, transparency, and community first.

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“This is about rebuilding properly, step by step and doing it the right way. We’re asking for your patience, support, and belief. There will be challenges ahead, but there will also be incredible moments that remind us why we love this game. This is for the fans. For Salford. Forever.”

If it does come to pass, it won’t be the only big rebrand taking place in the city…

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Featured Images — Mason Caton-Brown/Rumpus PR (supplied)

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