Ex-Fifa referee: Newcastle set for Premier League probe after ‘big’ off-the-ball incident
The Premier League will launch a review into the way Newcastle United responded when a fan collapsed in the stands during their 3-2 loss to Tottenham.
That is according to ex-Fifa and Premier League referee Keith Hackett, speaking exclusively to Football Insider as he heaped praise on the reaction of the players.
Referee Andre Marriner suspended the game towards the end of the first half after Sergio Reguilon alerted him of a fan who had collapsed in the East Stand.
Newcastle released a statement after the game confirming the man was “stable and responsive” in hospital.
“I compliment the players because clearly, they reacted very quickly,” Hackett told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“It was great to see Eric Dier run half the width of the pitch, he knew exactly what was required because someone had shouted to him and he got a result with the Newcastle guy running out with the defib.
“All of that was a really good outcome to the problem.
“The referee was faced with a bit of a dilemma because it’s on Sky, it’s live. Normally in these situations, the match commander and the club’s main steward comes to the head of the tunnel and has a debate.
“We’re dealing with a very experienced referee in Andre Marriner, fortunately. He remained calm throughout and did what he had to do. He decided he wanted to take the players away from the scene and allow them to go off the field to the touchline, he didn’t know how long it was going to take.
“You’ve then got the impending problem of sweaty players in the cold. There’s the risk that when you restart you may end up with hamstring problems.
“It was a pretty big decision, to take the players off.
“No doubt the Premier League will review with Newcastle and ask about what happened. It’s unusual to stop the game when there’s a fan involved.
“I would have thought Newcastle would have had defibrillators around the area where the fan was.
“Overall, the players are to be applauded, the club medic that ran across, the match officials from both clubs. They took a sympathetic view.”
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