Hackett blasts Son Heung-min after Jarred Gillett clash in Tottenham vs Man City
Tottenham ace Son Heung-min has been slammed by former FIFA referee Keith Hackett after footage of the attacker with Man City defender Abdukodir Khusanov emerged.
The two sides went head to head in the Premier League in North London on Wednesday night (26 February), with Pep Guardiola’s side running out 1-0 winners.
That came courtesy of a goal from Erling Haaland, that brought an end to Spurs’ three-game winning run in the league.
After something of a tough start to life at Man City for Khusanov, a clean sheet against Tottenham will have been a welcome one for the centre-back as well.
Son Heung-min spotted with Abdukodir Khusanov
After the game, footage emerged of Son engaged in conversation with Khusanov, seemingly congratulating and showing support for his opponent.
That led to some praising the Tottenham captain for his attitude towards a rival, suggesting it showed him to be among the nicer figures in the game.
Hackett though, suggested otherwise, suggesting Son needs to take a similar approach with referees, pointing out that he had clashed with Jarred Gillett during that match.
Responding to that footage with a post on X, the former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA wrote about the South Korean international: “Pity at times he does not show the same respect to referees. I noticed last night he was having a spat with Referee Jarred Gillet”.
It was an eventful game for Gillett, who would also rule out a second goal for Haaland and Man City due to handball.
Meanwhile, Son’s conversation with Khusanov was not the only noticeable post-match incident, with Man City boss Pep Guardiola “slapping” Tottenham full-back Djed Spence on the pitch after the game.
Son Heung-min future at Tottenham remains under scrutiny
Football Insider Verdict
The attacker is of course in the final year of his contract with Spurs, and it remains to be seen if he will sign a new deal with the club.
There have been numerous suggestions that Son will indeed leave Tottenham this summer when his deal with the club comes to an end.
It has been a tough season on the pitch for the South Korea international as well, who has not met his usual standards.
| Son Heung-min for Tottenham in 2024/25 | Total (as per Transfermarkt) |
| Appearances | 36 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 10 |
| Yellow Cards | 1 |
| Red Cards | 0 |
As a result the whole situation will be frustrating for him, and some of that may have boiled over in his discussions with Gillett, especially given things were not going well for his team as a whole at that point.
With that in mind, it may be interesting to keep an eye on the body language of Son in the next few months, to see what that may indicate for his future at Tottenham.