Arsenal and Brighton duo deserved sanctions in unseen moment: ‘It’s a bad image for the Premier League’
Mikel Merino and Jan Paul van Hecke made a “bad image” for the Premier League after clashing in Arsenal’s win over Brighton on Saturday.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that John Brooks missed two yellow cards during the game at the Emirates on 27 December.
This comes after Bart Verbruggen avoided a controversial red card for wiping out Viktor Gyokeres next to the touchline, though the Gunners still managed to claim a 2-1 win on the day.
Martin Odegaard was on target before Georginio Rutter‘s own goal put the game out of sight for the Seagulls, who could only halve the deficit through a second-half effort from Diego Gomez.
Arsenal had to deal with an early blow to Riccardo Calafiori, but with Declan Rice starring at full-back in Jurrien Timber‘s place, the Gunners coped well with the early setback in North London.
Mikel Merino and Jan Paul van Hecke clash at the Emirates
During the game, there was plenty of pressure on the referee, who failed to intervene when Mikel Merino and Jan Paul van Hecke clashed off the ball, leading to more controversy.
The miss red card was not the only moment that caused the stadium to erupt, with social media also questioning what had happened between the two and how it had transpired.
Upon watching the replays, it appeared that Merino landed a knee into the Dutchman’s throat, but with no noticeable reaction from him, there was no VAR intervention either.
Analysing the footage himself, Hackett believed that two yellow cards should have been dished out straight away, rather than Brooks allowing for the incident to get out of hand.
John Brooks blasted as Arsenal and Brighton stars fight
Hackett, exclusively speaking to Football Insider on The Final Whistle, said: “Both players should have had a yellow card. It sounds like a guy who flashed yellow cards like they’re going out of fashion!
“Modern referees are reactive, rather than being proactive. If a referee is proactive, they go in and ask what the nonsense is. The outcome is that he forgets to blow his whistle.
“This is what prevents and stops people from continuing. It should be two yellow cards for unsportsmanlike behaviour. It’s a bad image for the Premier League.”