Kai Havertz: Ex-Fifa official demands radical change after controversial Newcastle footage analysed
Keith Hackett has called for the Premier League to copy the MLS in their application of VAR after Newcastle United’s controversy-laden defeat at Chelsea.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Premier League referee claimed Kai Havertz should have been sent off for an elbow on Dan Burn at Stamford Bridge.
As shown on Sky Sports (13 March), Havertz’s floored Burn with his elbow after the pair challenged for a header.
Referee David Coote brandished Havertz with a yellow card for the incident and VAR official John Brooks adjudged there to be no clear and obvious error from his colleague.
The decision would ultimately prove decisive with Chelsea forward going on to score the only goal of the game after 89 minutes.
When asked for his assessment of events, Hackett told Football Insider‘s Dylan Childs: “That is a red card offence.
“If you want to be an elite referee you should be able to pick that. When I was watching it I went, ‘Red card.’ There was no hesitation.
“I couldn’t believe VAR didn’t come in. That is the nonsense of VAR and how we are operating it in this country.
“In America, if you talk to Howard Webb [Manager of Video Assistant Referee Operations in the MLS], it doesn’t matter if the referee is right or wrong. VAR would have encouraged the referee to view the monitor.
“The difference in the MLS, is that they encourage referees to go with their judgement. But here, we are going with an automatic review.
“If VAR comes in you go with the VAR. Brooks knows that if he brings Coote to the monitor it is a red card. Does Brooks have the courage to do that? For me, it was a red card. The elbow was higher than you’d expect.”
In other news, Kieran Maguire has claimed this may be real reason PIF chose Newcastle over Chelsea as new details emerge.