NOTTINGHAM FOREST FANS CALL FOR SKY SPORTS PUNDIT TO BE BANNED AFTER DISRESPECTFUL COMMENT AHEAD OF EFL CUP MATCH AGAINST LEEDS UNITED

Nottingham Forest supporters have erupted in pure rage and are demanding Sky Sports immediately ban one of its most outspoken pundits after he delivered a series of scathing, “disrespectful” remarks about the club just hours before their highly anticipated EFL Cup clash with Leeds United.

The storm broke during a live pre-match segment when the Sky Sports regular, former Championship midfielder turned pundit Liam “Lash” Carter, launched into a monologue that fans immediately branded “classless,” “ignorant,” and “a complete slap in the face” to one of English football’s most historic clubs.

Carter, known for his no-filter style, told viewers: “Let’s be honest, Nottingham Forest are still surviving on the fumes of Brian Clough’s glory days. Two European Cups in the late seventies and early eighties – brilliant, fair play. But that was nearly fifty years ago. This current lot? They’re a mid-table Premier League side at best who somehow keep punching above their weight. Against Leeds on a cold midweek night in the Carabao Cup? I’d be surprised if they even turn up with any real ambition. Half their squad will be resting, the other half will be looking over their shoulders worrying about the next soft-tissue injury. Forest fans can wave their European Cup flags all they like – this is 2026, not 1979. They’re not winning anything this season, and deep down they know it.”

The reaction was instantaneous and ferocious.

Within minutes, Forest fan accounts flooded X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook with furious posts. Hashtags such as #BanLashCarter, #DisrespectForest, and #SkySportsHate began trending across the UK. One popular supporter page with over 80,000 followers posted: “This is pure disrespect. You don’t talk about Nottingham Forest like we’re some random Championship outfit. Two-time European champions. Clough’s team. The City Ground. Have some respect, you absolute clown. Sky, ban him tonight.”

Another fan wrote: “Carter has never played at this level of intensity in his life and he’s sitting there laughing at Forest. We built this club on passion and history. Ban him. Permanently. No more airtime.”

A third supporter summed up the mood: “It’s not banter. It’s ignorance. Forest have been through hell and back – relegations, ownership chaos, near financial collapse – and we’re still here fighting in the Premier League. Some washed-up pundit does not get to rewrite our history on live TV. Sky Sports need to do the right thing and remove him.”

The outrage quickly escalated beyond social media. Online petitions calling for Carter’s removal from Sky Sports coverage gathered thousands of signatures in under an hour. Fans began tagging Sky Sports executives, the EFL, and even commercial sponsors, threatening coordinated boycotts of the channel’s football coverage if no action was taken. Several supporter groups announced they would mute Sky Sports apps and stream the match through alternative means in protest.

The timing of the comments has only fuelled the fire. Forest and Leeds United meet in the EFL Cup at a moment when both clubs are navigating contrasting seasons. Forest, under their current management, have been working hard to establish themselves as a stable Premier League side after years of turbulence. Leeds, still hungry after previous campaigns, see the cup as a genuine opportunity to make a deep run and boost morale. The fixture already carried an edge; Carter’s remarks poured petrol on it.

Many Forest fans have pointed to the club’s proud European pedigree as the core of their anger. Under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, Nottingham Forest achieved the impossible – consecutive European Cup triumphs in 1979 and 1980 – a feat that still stands as one of the greatest underdog stories in football history. To hear a modern pundit casually dismiss that legacy as “fumes” felt, to many, like a personal insult.

“You don’t get to reduce Clough’s achievements to a punchline,” one long-time season-ticket holder posted. “Those teams changed the game. They inspired generations. Carter should be educating younger viewers about that history, not mocking it for cheap laughs.”

Other voices within the football community have begun to weigh in. Several former players and rival fans have expressed surprise at the tone of the comments, with one ex-Premier League midfielder stating on social media that “there’s banter and then there’s just being needlessly disrespectful. Forest deserve better than that.”

Sky Sports has so far remained silent. No official statement has been released addressing the backlash, and Carter has not publicly clarified or walked back his words. That silence is only intensifying the pressure. Fans are now demanding not just an apology, but a full ban from future football coverage. Some are calling for Carter to be replaced on panels by voices who show more understanding of clubs outside the traditional “big six.”

The controversy also raises wider questions about the role of pundits in modern football coverage. In an era where clubs and supporters are more connected and vocal than ever, throwaway lines can ignite major storms within minutes. What once might have been shrugged off as “typical Sky banter” is now being treated as a serious breach of respect by passionate fanbases.

As kick-off against Leeds approaches, the City Ground faithful are making their feelings crystal clear. They will back their team with the usual intensity, but they will also remember who took cheap shots at their club on national television. Many have already pledged to make their voices heard throughout the broadcast, both in the stands and online.

Whether Sky Sports chooses to discipline Carter, issue a statement, or simply hope the storm passes remains to be seen. What is already obvious is that Nottingham Forest fans will not let this slide quietly. The calls for a ban are growing louder by the hour, and the pressure on the broadcaster is mounting.

For a club with Forest’s history and a fanbase known for its fierce loyalty, disrespect is never taken lightly. Liam “Lash” Carter may have thought he was delivering sharp analysis. Instead, he has united thousands of supporters in shared anger – and they are demanding consequences.