‘It’s cheating’ – Ex-refs chief destroys ‘stupid’ player as Brentford vs Burnley footage re-analysed
Samuel Barrott was spot-on not to fall for a clear act of simulation during the Premier League clash between Brentford and Burnley.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Barrott was the Premier League’s referee of the week on Saturday, 29 November.
Hackett was critical of Barrott earlier in the season, sanctioning Fulham‘s Rodrigo Muniz for his celebrations, but Howard Webb‘s official more than impressed at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Axel Tuanzebe was at fault before Igor Thiago netted from the penalty spot, his first of two goals on the afternoon, with Zian Flemming‘s spot-kick meaningless after Dango Ouattara added a third for the Bees.
Hannibal Mejbri cheats in attempt to win a penalty vs Brentford
Things could have been very different for Scott Parker‘s Clarets had they capitalised on an early error to open the scoring, but Hannibal Mejbri had other ideas after bursting into the penalty area.
In the 15th minute, Mathias Jensen took a wild swipe, totally missing the ball, but also making no contact with the Burnley player before he fell to a heap inside the 18-yard box.
Instead of falling for Hannibal’s play-acting, Barrott was quickly on scene to diffuse the situation, brandishing a yellow card for the act of simulation, rather than awarding a spot-kick against the Bees.
Re-watching the incident, Hackett was, understandably, furious with the player’s actions, but also gave a special mention to the referee for his performance this weekend.
Samuel Barrott wins ‘referee of the weekend’ after Brentford vs Burnley
Hackett, exclusively speaking to Football Insider on The Final Whistle, “I watched Sam Barrott in the Brentford game, first of all, correctly sanction for an act of simulation where a player was stupid, going down in the penalty area, looking for a spot-kick.
“This was a very clear act of simulation. In his own mind, he knows he’s not going to control the ball, so he’s gone down.
“On a Monday, the panel who meet for discipline should look at acts of simulation, and where they believe there is an act of simulation, there should be a one-match ban. It’s cheating.
“Then, I see him apply a superb advantage, and the attacking team move forward, gets onto the edge of the area, and he’s making a penalty decision.
“Later in the game, he made another penalty kick decision, and he got the big decisions right. For me, he’s the referee of the weekend in terms of his performance.”