Credit: ESPN

Oliver Walton

Thu 28 May 2026 7:30, UK

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Crystal Palace have been told why Rayo Vallecano defender Pathe Ciss avoided a red card for DOGSO in their Conference League final clash by former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett.

The Eagles’ players and fans wanted Ciss to be shown his marching orders by referee Maurizio Mariani in the 20th minute after he tripped Yeremy Pino.

Pino had broken past the Vallecano midfield and backline before being clearly fouled by Ciss, with the position of the challenge and his teammates raising the question around whether he had denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Referee Mariani only produced a yellow card for the Senegalese international, as VAR checked and cleared the decision.

Former PGMOL chief Hackett has explained why it was not a sending-off offence, as Palace went on to win the final 1-0 in Leipzig.

Keith Hackett explains Maurizio Mariani’s thought process in Pathe Ciss decision

Hackett, who is also an ex-FIFA referee, has insisted that a yellow card was the right decision due to several factors that Mariani would have taken into account.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, he said: “The referee has, in my opinion, made the correct judgment to issue a yellow card and not a red card for a potential denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity.

“We should always highlight the ‘obvious’ part of this law. The referee has to consider the four aspects of the DOGSO criteria which are:

“Distance between the offence and the goal, general direction of the play, likelihood of keeping or gaining control of the ball and location and number of defenders.

“The reason for yellow and not red is (that) it is less than obvious that the forward would control the ball and the position of the covering defender.”

Who are the favourites to replace Glasner after his final Palace game?

Palace boss Glasner has gone out on a high with another trophy lift before he leaves the club for pastures new this summer.

After all the celebrations are over, the Eagles’ attention will turn to who comes in to replace the Austrian as Europa League football beckons at Selhurst Park.

Sources have revealed to Football Insider that Palace want Andoni Iraola to be their next boss, and he is the favourite among top UK bookmakers to succeed Glasner at odds of 5/4.

Thomas Frank is a top contender at 2/1 odds, while Jose Bordalas is priced at 4/1 and Marcelino Toral, Frank Lampard and Robbie Keane are all priced at 10/1.