Keith Hackett tells FA to ‘follow suit’ as Motherwell’s Callum Slattery given lengthy simulation ban
Keith Hackett has praised the SFA for how they have punished Motherwell star Callum Slattery after he was deemed to have cheated to get St Mirren’s Richard King sent off in their recent Premiership clash.
The former PGMOL chief has told Football Insider that the English FA must take note and hand out similar punishments to the four-game ban that Slattery has received for simulation.
King was shown a straight red card by referee Calum Scott after one of his assistants allegedly saw him strike Slattery in the 52nd minute of their league clash on 21 February.
He later saw the dismissal rescinded as replays showed that no contact between the two players, despite the Motherwell forward ending up in a heap on the floor.
The Scottish FA soon opened proceedings against Slattery, and have now slapped him with an unprecedentedly lengthy ban.
Keith Hackett lauds four-game ban for Callum Slattery as FA urged to do the same
It was announced on Thursday afternoon that Slattery has received a retrospective four-game ban for simulation, with two games suspended, after he was cited by the SFA’s compliance officer.
The punishment is the first of its kind that has been imposed in such a way in Scotland, while no player in professional English football has ever been banned for the offence for longer than two matches.
| Appearances | 26 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 8 |
| Shots per game | 3 |
| Successful passes % | 82.1% |
| Chances created per 90 | 1.87 |
| Duels won % | 46.1% |
Hackett was welcoming of the lengthy ban when speaking to Football Insider, and he insisted that the English governing bodies need to start giving out similar punishments in the near future.
He said: “Wow. When I saw the outcome of a disciplinary meeting by the Scottish Football Association, I was shocked that they are clearly taking a stand against players who attempt to deceive the referee through an act of simulation.
“St Mirren’s Richard King received a red card. It was pretty obvious that this red card was incorrect because the referee had failed to detect the act of simulation by Motherwell’s Callum Slattery.
“I am pleased to say that the Scottish FA, on reviewing the case, have issued a six-week ban to Motherwell’s Callum Slattery.
“What a message this sends to football. Now we want the English Football Association to follow suit and help referees, because players are very good at acts of simulation that deceive the referee.”
Motherwell have hit back after Slattery ban
Football Insider recently revealed that Championship clubs are battling to sign Slattery as he shines at Motherwell under Jens Berthel Askou.
The fourth-placed side will now be without him for key games against Falkirk and league leaders Hearts, and they are clearly unhappy about how he has been punished for simulation.
In an official statement on the Motherwell website, the club said: “Despite the correct VAR protocol being followed on the night, a third layer of refereeing has now been implemented, and despite using the same poor-quality camera angles, the panel has imposed a four-game ban.
“This is the first incident in Scottish football where a player has received a match suspension via retrospective action for inappropriate behaviour, and we question why this incident meets the criteria, yet countless others don’t.
“All clubs have witnessed similar incidents in games which haven’t resulted in retrospective bans; therefore, we will watch and expect consistency going forward so that Callum isn’t treated differently to others.”
It is certainly a statement filled with anger and sly digs at the SFA, and is not set to help Slattery’s case going forward if he is caught committing a simulation offence again.
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