Ex-Premier League referee demands ban as ‘really concerning’ Che Adams footage emerges at Southampton
Valeriy Bondar deserved a red card for his challenge on Southampton striker Che Adams during Ukraine’s 3-0 defeat to Scotland last week (21 September), according to Keith Hackett.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League official claimed the referee was correct in law but it needs to be changed.
Adams would have been one-on-one with the goalkeeper if he had not been taken down by Bondar.
The 23-year-old was only shown a yellow card and Scotland were awarded a free-kick 35-yards from goal.
A red card would have seen him handed a one-game Nations League ban.
“I think this is a challenge that is really concerning me,” Hackett said after analysing the footage with Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“It seems to me, at this moment in time, a yellow card is inappropriate really.
“In the laws of the game that is a deliberate block and is called unfair impeding. The law gives the referee to issue a yellow card.
“Do those challenges, when a player is moving at speed and not expecting it, endanger the safety of an opponent?
“It’s a tough call to send someone off but we are starting to see it as a trend, this blocking of players.
“Under the law at the moment, that is a reckless challenge and a yellow card is the punishment.
“But I do think that football has got to look a bit closer at this. They can do this by outlawing this sort of challenge, it’s not football.
“Obstruction is one thing, but this is more than that. This is like skittles wiping a player out.”
In other news, a medical insider has claimed Southampton are implementing special measures after a “contamination”.