Aston Villa news: Ex-Fifa official issues ‘brutally honest’ verdict as John McGinn controversy analysed
Keith Hackett has claimed players need to go down to win a penalty after an incident involving Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn in Scotland’s 1-1 draw with Poland.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Premier League and Fifa official admitted he would tell players to hit the deck after contact in the area if he was a manager.
McGinn, 27, stayed on his feet despite contact in the box from a Poland defender at Hampden Park on Thursday.
As quoted by the Daily Record (25 March), ex-Scotland and Rangers striker Kris Boyd said the centre-midfielder was “too honest” and “should have gone down.”
The moment proved decisive in the game with Poland’s Krzysztof Piatek cancelling out Kieran Tierney’s opener in stoppage time.
When asked by Football Insider‘s Dylan Childs if players need to go down to win penalties, Hackett said:
“I will be brutally honest, if I was a coach I would be telling players to go down after contact. I have no doubt that the top coaches in England are saying to their players, ‘If you fell that contact, go down.’
“That contact reduces the risk of any caution for an act of simulation.
“The current trend in refereeing is that a player won’t get a penalty if he stays on his feet after contact. The player will not get the penalty he deserves unless he goes down and that may well have been the case with McGinn.
“It is not about promoting dishonesty, this is practicality.”
In other news, Matty Cash has been tipped to snub Aston Villa and accept ‘magnificent’ offer from rival after reveal.