'Forest's statement should not be allowed at all'

Former Premier League referee Peter Walton says Nottingham Forest's statement questioning the integrity of the officials during their defeat to Everton on Sunday is "poor" and an "integrity issue".

"It is unprecedented and it shouldn't be allowed at all," he told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast. "If it came from a fan maybe you could understand it but coming from an official club website is poor.

"The issue here is if the referee is useless he's useless but he's not a cheat and it's an integrity issue. That's why our league and our referees are valued around the world because we just don't have that issue.

"There may well be issues around the world where leagues can influence the appointments and assignments of match officials but in Britain that does not happen and we should nip this in the bud straight away.

"With Mark [Clattenburg] being there in an advisory capacity I'm sure they have listened to some advice they've given them. Whoever is giving that type of advice is clearly wrong in terms of looking at that core, integrity value there.

"Some referees make wrong decisions, I made wrong decisions in my career but never on purpose.

"One thing we should never have questioned is our impartiality towards teams."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds from 07:30