Exclusive: Marco Silva’s Fulham sanction mystery sparks transparency calls
Keith Hackett has called for more transparency from the Premier League regulatory panel after an outburst from Fulham boss Marco Silva.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the Portuguese figure may have received a punishment behind the scenes during the season, one that was not published.
This comes after the 47-year-old hit out at Darren Bond’s decision-making during the Cottagers’ 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town, stating that the referee was not fit to officiate in the Premier League.
Leif Davis avoided a sending-off at Craven Cottage for a last-man challenge on Harry Wilson, with a total of three penalties awarded in the match, though all three needed VAR intervention.
Marco Silva lashes out at Darren Bond in Fulham draw
Despite his very honest comments on the referee’s performance at full-time, Silva never received a punishment from the FA after stepping beyond his bounds, or at least the punishment was not made public.
He has, however, received fines in the past, most notably following his meltdown at Old Trafford when Aleksandar Mitrovic was sent off against Man United in March 2023.
Hackett, while agreeing with some of Silva’s comments, expected the FA to deliver a hefty punishment at Craven Cottage, though it never arrived after the 2-2 draw with the Tractor Boys.
Keith Hackett suspects Marco Silva punished privately
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “The regulatory panel have a line of punishments, and that first line could be, ‘Can we have your observations about what you’ve said?’, followed by a warning letter and a slap across the wrist.
“There are channels for managers to voice their frustrations. I think because he’s had a decent record, he’s had a warning letter rather than a sanction. That might have just come with a fine, but it wasn’t published.
“Maybe we should be asking for greater transparency of the regulatory panel, on a week-by-week basis, based on what you’ve seen and what the outcomes were. I’m all for transparency.”