Ex-Premier League referee: Dejan Kulusevski deserves extended ban as ‘violent’ Tottenham footage analysed
Dejan Kulusevski should have been shown a straight red card as Tottenham lost 1-0 to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday (16 April).
That is the view of ex-Fifa and Premier League referee Keith Hackett, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about Kulusevski’s foul on Marc Cucurella.
The 21-year-old was booked for throwing an elbow at the Brighton defender in the 27th minute.
VAR did not feel the need to overturn Craig Pawson’s on-field decision and Hackett has questioned why Lee Mason did not intervene.
A straight red would have seen Kulusevski banned for Spurs’ next three fixtures – Premier League games with Brentford, Leicester City and Liverpool.
“Oh, that’s an act of violent conduct,” Hackett said after analysing the footage with Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“He clenched his fist, drawn his elbow back into his opponent just below his chin, around that area.
“Everybody could see what he’d done. The referee was in a relatively good position and you’ve got to show courage and he didn’t.
“I’d like to know what category of the laws of the game allows him to give a yellow card. If it’s violent conduct, it’s a red.
“I go back to his mate now, Lee Mason on VAR. He seems to me to be as bad as a VAR operator as he was a referee.
“This was a clear and obvious error, why doesn’t he come in?
“I wouldn’t have that pair working together again. If I’m a referee and I know I’ve got Mason as VAR at Stockley Park, I would worry about it. Remember, he’s currently the only one who is full time on VAR.”
In other news, Kieran Maguire has revealed Tottenham have been ‘blinded by the cheque’ as a sponsor goes bust.