Exclusive: FA to suspend ref over Porro’s ‘serious’ Tottenham v Reading incident
Brighton loanee Mark O’Mahony should have been sent off during Reading’s pre-season clash against Tottenham, according to Keith Hackett.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the 20-year-old striker, on loan with the Royals, was lucky to still be on the pitch during the 2-0 defeat on Saturday, 19 July.
Thomas Frank’s reign got off to the best start, beating the League One outfit thanks to goals from Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic, with Mohammed Kudus also being handed his debut.
Joining from West Ham on a £55million deal this summer [BBC Sport], the Ghanaian was quick off the mark, assisting the second goal of the game to open his account in Spurs colours.
Pedro Porro hit with heavy challenge in Tottenham win
While he was able to continue playing until a host of changes at the half-time break, Porro was on the wrong end of a heavy challenge from O’Mahony, one that got both sets of fans talking on social media.
The loanee only received a yellow card for his lunging tackle on the Spanish full-back, and Hackett believes that referee Farai Hallam could face punishment for failing to act.
Luckily for the new manager, there were no injury concerns after full-time, but there remains a question mark over why O’Mahony was not sent off despite it being a pre-season friendly.
Referee misses red-card challenge in pre-season friendly
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “Referees are reminded at their annual conferences that there are no such things as friendly matches.
“They have to apply the laws in accordance with the game. In my day, it was very different. It’d be a nod and a wink to the sidelines, and that player would be taken off for another player.
“The FA are quite clear that there are no friendlies. Yellow and red cards issued in friendlies form part of the sanction process, with fines and punishments.
“Even referees at grassroots level, those who do not report incidents in the usual manner, to what is effectively the FA’s system, are in line to face a suspension.
“That is a red card. He’s off his feet, slid in, and he’s done the player. It’s serious foul play and should have received a red card. If we look at the referee, it’s in a difficult area where the offender’s body has covered the challenge.
“This is why we have assistant referees, and why they have that title. There should have been intervention, because for me, it’s a red card.”