Keith Hackett blasts ‘unacceptable’ Nottingham Forest scenes as Elliot Anderson sent off vs Braga
Elliot Anderson only has himself to blame after being sent off during Nottingham Forest’s Europa League defeat to Braga on Thursday.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Premier League officials have been far too soft on dissent, instead welcoming this approach.
Sean Dyche is under crushing pressure after defeat in Portugal on 22 January, with Ryan Yates‘ own goal making the difference, just moments after Morgan Gibbs-White missed from the penalty spot.
In the closing stages, Dan Ndoye went down in the box, but instead of winning a spot-kick, he was shown a yellow card for simulation, a decision which was confirmed after a quick VAR check.
It was clear that emotions were bubbling over, but everyone watching was stunned when Anderson was shown a straight red card while speaking to the referee, with some expecting it to be shown to Nicolas Dominguez.
Elliot Anderson sent off for dissent as fans left baffled
Moments before the incident, Dominguez had gone up for a header, leading with his elbow, but play continued, and the Man United-linked midfielder clearly saw something wrong in the middle of the park.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “We have witnessed here in England, over several years, referees taking a softer approach to dissent, players surrounding the referee, protesting and visibly dissenting by word and action.
“Referees absorb it like a sponge and take no action. The danger for teams in European competitions is to have match officials from other countries and exposure to a different interpretation of the laws.
“Clearly, what he has said to this referee is unacceptable, and one can assume he has questioned the integrity of the official.
“We also aren’t aware that the referee may have already issued a warning to this player while running in a low-key manner. Clearly, the player will face a ban.”
What did Steve McManaman make of the situation?
Watching the red card given in the stadium, Steve McManaman was just as baffled as the rest of the viewers, struggling to understand what the player could have said to get sent off.
On TNT Sports (22 January), he said: “No idea why. Unless Elliot Anderson said something, he must call him something because he is nowhere near the ball. There was no pause – the red card was out straight away.”
Unless Anderson chooses to come clean over the incident, it will be impossible to work out exactly what unfolded in Portugal, but it is a huge blow for Forest’s qualification chances.
The odds are that the Reds are forced to go through the Europa League play-off spots, with one remaining game against Ferencvaros before teams head into the knockout stages.