Nuno Espirito Santo fumes at VAR failing to send off James Maddison

On Sunday, Yates, a midfielder for Forest, appeared to be punched by Tottenham star Maddison.
While fans’ opinions varied, Santo feels that he ought to have been sent off.
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During Tottenham’s 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest, James Maddison appeared to punch Ryan Yates. Nuno Espirito Santo was taken aback when VAR failed to penalize Maddison.

Yates tumbled to the ground in the last minute of the first half after shoving Maddison inside Tottenham’s penalty area.

Yates gestured for VAR to investigate the incident after it appeared on replay that Maddison had punched the Forest player in the stomach.

To the manager of Nottingham Forest’s dismay, VAR examined the incident, but Maddison was not punished.

When a reporter said that it “looked like Maddison punched Yates” after the game, Santo didn’t hold back.

“He punched him; it doesn’t look like it,” the Forest manager declared.

The Portuguese manager of Forest went on to say that Maddison ‘lost his composure’ and expressed surprise that Hooper was the only one who could resolve the matter with ‘a nice chat’.

“I saw the image,” he said. It surprised me that VAR didn’t tell Simon to give it a more thorough review because, in all honesty, Maddison loses his composure and Yates takes a punch to the stomach.

‘It ought to have been examined and [led to] an alternative resolution, instead of conversing with the players, and it appears that nothing occurs.

We had different perspectives on it. I didn’t agree with VAR. I see it clearly and believe it to be a red card. Simon’s solution of having a pleasant conversation surprised me.

Yates was criticized by Roy Keane and Jamie Redknapp for giving in too easily after the incident on Sky Sports.

According to Redknapp, it’s not much. Yates is that way; he tries to get in players’ faces, much like Vinnie Jones and Gascoigne did years ago.

Yates went down too easily, according to Keane, who used to work with him at Forest. Yates is 26 years old.

"Get on with the game, toughen up a little bit" 😤

Roy Keane thinks Yates was 'dramatic' the way he went down in the clash with Maddison… pic.twitter.com/5TAuytS0hQ

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 7, 2024

“I worked with Yates at Forest; he’s a really nice kid, but every week, he gets hurt by somebody,” the man remarked. He collapses far too quickly. He should drop that from his game because he’s such a good boy.

The fact that Maddison wasn’t fired infuriated one Forest fan in particular.

“Can someone PLEASE tell me what on earth James Maddison is still doing on the pitch?” was the message they wrote. He has really given Yates a PUNCH.

‘Maddison just allowed to punch Yates in the stomach?’ asked a different user.

Furthermore, an additional user emphasized that Maddison ought to have been penalized after a VAR investigation.

‘How’s VAR watching Maddison punch Yates and doing nothing ffs,’ they wrote.

The only reason Forest isn’t in the relegation zone is because their goal differential of -16 is greater than Luton’s -20.