The Portuguese coach has spoken publicly for the first time about his departure, revealing that he had received no indication that Forest intended to end their relationship despite having secured the club's Premier League survival.
Pereira said the decision itself was within the club's rights, but the timing and manner of the communication left him particularly disappointed. He had already been planning the team's preparations for the new season when an email arrived just before midnight on June 30.
"It came as an enormous surprise," he told The Athletic.
"I had never heard anything that made me think or feel that they no longer had me in their plans. In the end, they had the right to decide what they wanted for the club, and I accept that."
However, he made clear that accepting the decision did not mean he agreed with how it was handled.
"The only thing that wasn't right was the way they did it. That was the only thing that wasn't fair. To send an email two minutes before midnight, when we had already planned everything ahead of pre-season."
The timing was significant because Pereira understood that his contract contained a clause allowing either party to terminate the agreement before its scheduled expiry, but only if action was taken before the end of June.
He felt the club could have handled the situation through a direct conversation rather than waiting until the final moments of the deadline.
"If they had said: 'Vitor, even though you've planned everything, we have another option', then that's okay. That's football," he explained.
"During my career, I have worked for many years in different countries and cultures. I have a lot of experience, and I know that football is sometimes like this."
Pereira's departure was surprising given that he had helped Forest retain their place in the Premier League. Nevertheless, the club decided to make a change and appointed Oliver Glasner as his replacement.
The manager's account provides a glimpse into the abrupt end of a working relationship that, from his perspective, had appeared to be continuing into the new campaign. His frustration is directed less at the club's authority to make a change than at the lack of warning and the manner in which the decision was communicated.
For Pereira, the email arriving two minutes before midnight remains the defining detail of an exit he had not anticipated.