Chelsea Exclusive: Referee slammed over Joao Pedro penalty call after PGMOL exchange
Chelsea were right to be furious as Joao Pedro’s penalty incident went unpunished against PSG in the Club World Cup final, according to Keith Hackett.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that Premier League officials would have jumped at the chance to get involved after the striker was brought down in the box.
Luis Enrique’s side were shellshocked during the opening 45 minutes, going 3-0 down to Cole Palmer and Pedro, but referee Alireza Faghani was quick to issue yellow cards to three Blues stars.
With PSG attempting to get back into the game, the Brazil international broke in behind the backline, about to go one-on-one with Gianluigi Donnarumma, before being brought down by Lucas Beraldo.
Lucas Beraldo escapes Chelsea penalty
Penalty claims were quickly waved away by the referee, with suggestions that the former Brighton man went down far too easily, but replays showed a clear indication of the player’s shirt being held.
While the missed incident had no real effect on the outcome of the game, with Enzo Maresca’s side seeing out the victory for their second title in as many months, Hackett was not impressed by the decision.
Midfielder Joao Neves is already facing an extended ban after a hair pull on Marc Cucurella, and Enrique lashed out at Pedro after the full-time whistle, but nothing has taken away from the Blues’ incredible achievement.
Premier League officials to jump at Joao Pedro controversy
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “It’s interesting. This referee visited the PGMOL on a one-way exchange programme some years ago.
“What we’ve got here is a holding offence, but what made it difficult for the referee was that he wasn’t in the best viewing angle, he wasn’t wide enough, and therefore, he didn’t have a great view.
“Was this a clear and obvious error? The threshold for VAR intervention at the Club World Cup has been a lot higher. In the Premier League, I suspect VAR would have jumped to get involved in this decision.
“There was an offence, which wasn’t seen by the referee because he was in the wrong position. He was running down the channel rather than getting width. He should have given up distance and gone out wide.”