Ex-refs chief makes feelings clear over Matheus Nunes penalty controversy in Leeds vs Man City
Matheus Nunes was extremely fortunate not to concede a penalty during Man City’s narrow win over Leeds United on Saturday.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Leeds should have been awarded a penalty in the 86th minute on 28 February.
Man City were without Erling Haaland for the trip to Elland Road, but even without the Norwegian international, Antoine Semenyo was on hand to find the back of the net away from home.
Daniel Farke‘s side had multiple chances to equalise, and definitely should have taken the lead through Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but at the full-time whistle, Leeds felt utterly short-changed.
Rayan Cherki also could have been sent off, which would have given the Whites a man advantage for the final 30 minutes.
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VISIT THE LEEDS MATCH HUBDaniel Farke erupts at Peter Bankes after Leeds defeat
Leeds fans were absolutely furious at the full-time whistle, aiming chants of “cheat” at the Citizens after the away team claimed all three points at Elland Road.
Nunes could have easily given away a spot-kick in the closing stages after the ball struck his arm, and Farke failed to keep his emotions in check after the final whistle was blown.
Racing towards the centre circle, Peter Bankes immediately brandished a red card to the fired-up manager, who needed to be pulled away from the group of officials.
Rewatching the handball incident, Hackett can fully understand why Farke was so frustrated and angry, even arguing that Bankes could have dealt with the entire situation much better.
Matheus Nunes lucky not to concede late penalty at Elland Road
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “The arm is not in a natural position. The ball strikes the arm, so it’s either one that the referee should see or VAR should have referred it to him to have another look.
“What’s it doing so high in the air? I think referees are confused about what is or isn’t handball. If the player is trying to get out of the way, that’s different.
“In a game of such nature, you can understand Daniel Farke’s approach. I was a bit surprised by the referee’s reaction to produce a red card so prematurely.
“We could only see Farke’s back, so we couldn’t see at what point he was expressing his concerns. But in an environment like that, you have to have a tolerance level.“
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