‘I don’t care’ – Keith Hackett: Aston Villa star should have been sent off vs Burnley
Unai Emery was fortunate to keep all 11 of his Aston Villa players on the pitch against Burnley at Villa Park.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that referee Andrew Kitchen and Michael Oliver failed to act accordingly on Sunday, 5 October.
Zian Flemming avoided a sending-off for the Clarets after elbowing Emi Buendia in the face, which forced the Villa substitute off before the final whistle, and it appears that the officials missed another decision.
In the 53rd minute, Lucas Digne went sliding into a tough challenge on Loum Tchaouna, being penalised for his tackle just eight minutes into the second half against the newly promoted side.
Lucas Digne could have been sent off against Loum Tchaouna
Donyell Malen was key for Villa in their 2-1 win, but with Lesley Ugochukwu scoring from a corner in the 78th minute, the final stages were far more uncomfortable than Emery would have hoped for.
Matty Cash has been in form for Villa and Poland in recent weeks, and it was his teammate on the opposite flank who clearly struggled to deal with the Clarets’ attacking outlets this weekend.
While it was Digne’s only foul of the game, he went straight into the referee’s notebook, and there were no further calls for more action to be taken, at least until now.
Hackett believes that the Frenchman was lucky not to receive his marching orders for the challenge, even if the contact was on top of Tchaouna’s foot, rather than higher up on the leg.
Michael Oliver should have punished Digne
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “The interpretation is that because the foot is low on the foot, that’s not serious foul play. I think this is a subjective call, and the referee has gone yellow.
“As he gains experience, I think he might consider that to be a red card. Michael Oliver should have come in and told him to take another look.
“The Premier League’s group of referees see this as reckless, discounting excessive force and the endangerment of an opponent. For me, this challenge has excessive force.
“I don’t care if it’s on the foot or the leg, it endangers the safety of his opponent. That player, in my opinion, should have had a red card.”