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Keith Hackett

Mon 7 April 2025 11:45, UK

Keith Hackett has suggested that a rule change could be introduced following an error by Ipswich Town star Alex Palmer during his side’s defeat to Wolves.

The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider he would have liked to have seen a penalty awarded against the goalkeeper after he handled a backpass to prevent a goal.

Kieran McKenna‘s side slipped closer to relegation back to the Championship following their 2-1 defeat to Wolves at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon (5 April).

Within that game though, there was one particular moment involving Palmer that has generated plenty of debate.

Alex Palmer survives mix-up with Dara O’Shea

With 38 minutes on the clock and McKenna’s side leading 1-0 through Liam Delap’s early strike, the hosts came close to gifting Wolves an equaliser.

Palmer failed to control a backpass from Ipswich defender Dara O’Shea, forcing the goalkeeper to rush back and claw the ball away from goal with his hand.

That saw the 28-year-old shown a yellow card and Wolves awarded an indirect free kick on the edge of the six-yard box by referee Peter Bankes, which was cleared by the Tractor Boys.

Some though felt that Palmer should have been sent off and Wolves awarded a penalty for what was effectively a deliberate handball on goalline.

Now, Hackett has suggested a law change ought to be introduced, that should have seen Wolves given a penalty but Palmer allowed to stay on the pitch, due to issues around double jeopardy.

‘Ipswich Town incident should lead to new rule introduction’ – Keith Hackett

After being asked if he agrees with claims that the Ipswich goalkeeper should have been sent off and Wolves awarded a penalty, the former referee told Football Insider:

“There definitely would have to be a law change. Someone sent me a note and we had this lengthy discussion about examining the law as to whether the referee had come to the correct decision.

“Of course if an offence takes place in the goal area, then the restart is nearest the incident on the goal area line, so everything in this was done correctly by the referee.

“It was good that the referee was alert to it because there’s some scenario, suggestion that he might have played it with his foot and then touched it.

“But when we look at the law for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity, it actually to some degree exonerates the goalkeeper, in a way.

“Because if the goalkeeper makes a genuine attempt to play the ball, there’s double jeopardy. It’s an indirect free kick, and not a red card offence, neither a penalty kick.

“So I think when you look at this, the law has been applied correctly by the referee. But certainly I would suggest that the lawmakers – although it happens very rarely – might reconsider that in a situation as this, that the goalkeeper be dismissed for the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

“There is a case for a change in law, I think genuinely the lawmakers will be very reluctant because of the impact on the goalkeeper and the team to change.

“I think that when we look at this law that was first introduced, I can remember sending Tony Gale off for West Ham against Nottingham Forest, caused absolute furore and still I get negative comments to this day!

“Because up to that particular point, we were looking for a cynical foul, not just an ordinary foul. So they’d changed it a few days before and that caught everybody out, I applied the law and I took the stick.

“But then the discussion and debate rightly then went to the fact that the goalscoring opportunity – for an offence taking place inside the penalty area – is in fact replaced with a penalty kick.

“So as a result, the lawmakers decided where a genuine attempt has been made by a defender or goalkeeper to play the ball in that scenario, it’s a penalty kick and only a yellow card and not a dismissal.

“So maybe here my view should be that in considering a law change, it wouldn’t be the dismissal of the goalkeeper, it would be the award of a penalty kick, for the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity, and a yellow card.”

Ipswich will next be in action when they travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Sunday (13 April), with Wolves due to host Tottenham at Molineux at the same time.