Jurgen Locadia should miss 2026 World Cup after Scotland-Curacao incident: ‘Right, you’re banned’
Jurgen Locadia deserves to miss the upcoming 2026 World Cup following an act of violence in a friendly match between Scotland and Curacao.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the authorities should hand him a three-match ban, which would like see him miss the entire tournament.
Just 38 minutes into the game at Hampden Park on Saturday, 30 May, the Curacao striker had been given his marching orders after landing an elbow on Brentford’s Aaron Hickey, who was clearing the ball.
Curacao, who are ranked 82nd in the world, have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in the nation’s history, but losing their star striker to a suspension would be a huge blow.
Curacao are down to 10-men after a late challenge by Jurgen Locadia.#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/ZkDF63URSh
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) May 30, 2026
Jurgen Locadia could miss all of Curacao’s World Cup games
In Group E with Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast, it is already an extremely big ask to get to the knockout stages, and Locadia would be banned for all three games were it to transfer over.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Hackett said: “Good on the referee for detecting it. It’s a good piece of refereeing, because often, referees can miss. The red card is absolutely spot on.
“And I’m on that side that says if a ban for violent conduct is three matches throughout the domestic season or wherever you play, then that should apply to the World Cup.
| Jurgen Locadia vs Scotland | Stats [FotMob] |
| Minutes played | 38 |
| Passing accuracy | 60% (6/10) |
| Touches | 12 |
| Ground duels won | 0% (0/2) |
| Aerial duels won | 0% (0/1) |
| Fouls committed | 2 |
“He’s committed an act of violent conduct in a friendly game. There are no friendly games, by the way. Referees are told that they have to apply the laws accordingly. This referee should be complimented for doing that.
“And the authorities should issue the sanction and say, ‘Right, you’re banned from the World Cup’. It doesn’t matter what competition you’re playing in. That’s an act of violent conduct, a three-match ban, and that’s what that player should serve.”
Scotland handed huge blow ahead of 2026 World Cup
Despite a 4-1 win at Hampden Park, with Lawrence Shankland grabbing a brace, it was not all positive signs during the Scots’ preparations.
Rangers’ Findlay Curtis was accused of cheating when winning a penalty, and the youngster was only on the pitch because Billy Gilmour was forced off with an injury.
Napoli’s midfielder, formerly of Chelsea and Brighton, has now been forced to withdraw from the squad, being replaced by Man United gem Tyler Fletcher, famously the son of Darren Fletcher.
It is just 10 days until the 2026 World Cup kicks off, with Mexico and South Africa getting us started, and Clarke will be hoping that his team suffer no more setbacks before their opener against Haiti.