Keith Hackett 'surprised' by how referee reacted to Ismael Kone leg-break incident in Canada vs Qatar

Referee Cristian Marcelo Garay Reyes should have acted more appropriately following the red-card challenge on Canada's Ismael Kone.

That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Qatar's Assim Madibo deserved to be shown a straight red card on Thursday, 18 June.

In the 51st minute, Qatar's No.23 was shown a yellow card for a late lunge on Kone, and players quickly realised that his injury was far more serious than just a simple foul.

Jesse Marsch's midfielder had to be carried off on the a stretcher, and after a VAR check, Madibo's caution was upgraded, despite being absolutely distraught about the damage caused by his actions.

The Canucks went on to win 6-0, with Julen Lopetegui's side going down to nine men, thanks to an early red card from Homam Elamin, but the serious injury left a dark cloud over the game.

It was also likely the cause of the mass confrontation between the staff at the full-time whistle, with several needing to be separated on the sidelines.

Ismael Kone's 2026 World Cup looks to be over

When speaking exclusively to Football Insider, though, Hackett revealed that the original yellow card is what really stunned him about the incident.

"Madibo's challenge was totally unacceptable, and I was surprised that the referee, in an effort to avoid any confrontation, did not pull out his red card immediately," he said.

"It was serious foul play. The images of the referee's actions do appear to see him react with the red after he began to recognise the severity of the Canadian's potential career-ending incident.

"I appreciate that the offender shows some remorse, but players should recognise that they have a duty of care towards their opponents."

It was certainly a difficult moment to watch unfold, and it is likely to be one that, not only impacts Kone, but also Madibo, who caused the serious injury.

2026 World Cup overtakes 2022 and 2018

Madibo and Elamin have helped the 2026 World Cup eclipse the last two tournaments, but all for the wrong reasons, of course.

The clash between Mexico and South Africa in the opening game of the tournament saw three red cards awarded, with another one being shown in the game between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

That already makes six so far this summer, and both 2022 and 2018 had four red cards each, with the number of fouls per game also going up.

It is a rather worrying trend, and clearly a very dangerous one, with Kone now ruled out for the rest of the summer, which could impact Canada's chances of getting much further than the round of 32.