Exclusive: Detailed report to be submitted after furious PNE vs Burnley incident
Keith Hackett has praised referee Andrew Kitchen over his handling of an incident involving Burnley midfielder Hannibal and Preston North End striker Milutin Osmajic.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the official dealt with a “tense situation brilliantly”, with the matter now to be dealt with post match.
Burnley have made a habit of keeping things tight at the back without blowing teams away in attack as they pursue promotion back to the Premier League this season.
That was again the case in this clash at Deepdale on Saturday (15 February) as the two Lancashire rivals played out a goalless draw.
Even so, there was key flashpoint in that clash between Preston and Burnley beyond the result that may need to be addressed.
Hannibal Mejbri furious after Milutin Osmajic incident
Early in the second half of the match, play was paused for several minutes following a flashpoint. That came after Hannibal had spoken angrily with both Kitchen and his manager, Scott Parker.
The Burnley midfielder was seemingly left furious with something that had been said to him by Osmajic, who has already had a long ban after biting Blackburn left-back Owen Beck earlier this season.
Kitchen was then involved in discussions with both the fourth official, and members of the benches from either side, while also dealing with the frustrations of Hannibal.
Eventually play would get back underway, without action taken against either player, with Hackett left impressed by the way the referee coped with what had gone on in that incident.
There is also a suggestion that what happened will now be reported and investigated further after the game.
Scott Parker refused to go into the specifics of what was said after the game but also praised the officials for their handling of the situation, while criticising opposition fans for not knowing the “context” of what had occurred.
Preston Burnley incident assessed by ex official
Speaking to Football Insider about what happened between Hannibal and Osmajic, the former referee said:
“A stoppage in the Preston v Burnley game when the Burnley player Hannibal was clearly unhappy, reacting to something said to him by Preston’s Osmajic.
“A tense situation was brilliantly handled by referee Andrew Kitchen who discussed the matter with the fourth official, and the assistant manager of Preston, and the manager of Burnley.
The unhappy Hannibal was also handled sympathetically by the referee. The fourth official making copious notes before the game re-started.
“No sanctions issued so a detailed report will be submitted to the league who will deal with the matter.“
Both the Burnley midfielder and Preston striker would be substituted before full-time in the game with neither side able to make the breakthrough.
That result means the Clarets missed out on the chance to climb into the automatic promotion places in the Championship, while Paul Heckingbottom’s side remain firmly locked in mid-table.