Man City news: Wout Weghorst deserves extended ban as controversial footage analysed – Ex-Premier League referee
Wout Weghorst should have been sent off in Burnley’s 2-0 defeat to Man City on Saturday (2 April), according to Keith Hackett.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee insisted VAR should have intervened after Weghorst was shown a yellow card for his elbow on Rodri.
As shown on the BBC’s Match of the Day programme, the 29-year-old went up to challenge for a header with Rodri but his flailing arm smacked his opponent in the face.
He was shown a yellow card for the challenge by referee Craig Pawson and VAR operator Jon Moss did not feel the need to intervene.
Asked whether he thought Weghorst should have been sent off, Hackett said after analysing the footage with Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley: “I did.
“I thought he had a clenched fist initially but I had another look.
“But why did he do it? He knew what he was doing.
“With a yellow card, he got away with it. I would have liked Craig Pawson to have another look.
“The problem is how VAR operates, ‘Referee, have another look, are you sure about your decision?’
“We know that if VAR comes in he’s going to convert that to red. He probably thought in his head that it is not a clear and obvious error but I think it is. It was Jon Moss on VAR.”
A straight red would have seen Weghorst banned for Burnley’s next three Premier League games.
That would begin with their relegation crunch match with Everton on Wednesday (6 April) before their games with West Ham and Southampton.
In other news, Man City have been tipped to accept a cut-price Raheem Sterling offer after an £80million update.