Ex-refs chief: Lucas Bergvall has escaped punishment for ‘rare’ Tottenham incident that broke the law
Lucas Bergvall should have been punished following a rarely-seen moment during Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Brighton, according to Keith Hackett.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that referee Chris Kavanagh should have brandished a yellow card after the Sweden international ran behind the goal to escape his marker.
Bergvall has been a shining star for Tottenham so far this season, but despite the incident taking place in the opening five minutes, the midfielder should have received his first caution of the season.
Just three minutes later, Yankuba Minteh opened the scoring before Guglielmo Vicario allowed Yasin Ayari to score from long range at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, 20 September.
Lucas Bergvall baffles in the early stages of Tottenham draw
Luckily for Thomas Frank, Richarlison continued his fine run of form for Tottenham, grabbing a goal back before half-time, with Spurs salvaging a draw from a Jan Paul van Hecke own goal in the closing stages.
Kavanagh also did quite well to keep his cards in his pocket, with only Mohammed Kudus and Cristian Romero carded among the players who started the game at the Amex Stadium.
However, Hackett has stated that Bergvall was lucky not to join them in the referee’s notebook, and that might have been down to how early the incident occurred during the game.
With James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski still both sidelined, the 19-year-old has been a welcome addition to the squad, already grabbing two goal contributions in his first seven games of the season.
Keith Hackett finds humour in Tottenham moment vs Brighton
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the baffling incident, the former referee said: “The law states that leaving the field without the referee’s permission is a cautionable offence.
“He is lucky to avoid a yellow card. It’s a rare occurrence, and an unusual one to see someone run behind the goal to escape his opponent. It’s one that I would pick out for my previous column.”
Bergvall is unlikely to be at risk of picking up enough yellow cards for a one-game ban, and after the Brighton game, he will know not to risk running off the pitch during a corner kick.