When Nottingham Forest was in the midst of training hard for their first EFL Cup championship title in twelve years, an absolutely disadvantageous piece of news was heard from the EFL Cup committee. The committee had announced the allocation results of the two teams' changing rooms.
According to the rule, "Northern teams will use the North changing room, while Southern teams will use the South changing room". Middlesbrough, which was located even more to the North than Nottingham Forest, obtained the right to use the North changing room. Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, could only helplessly accept what fate had arranged for them — to use the "cursed" South changing room at Cardiff Millennium Stadium.
Once this news was announced, Nottingham's local press erupted with complaints. The majority of them lamented about fate not being fair, and placed much emphasis on fatalism.
