'Look at this...' - Ex-refs chief hits out as Sunderland star in thick of international controversy

Sunderland's Dan Ballard had nowhere to hide when conceding a penalty during Northern Ireland's clash against Georgia.

That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the centre-back would have expected to get away with grappling inside the penalty area.

Michael O'Neill's side claimed an important three points against Georgia on Friday, 25 September, and really, against all odds.

Manchester City loanee Pierce Charles came to the rescue to deny PSG's Kvicha Kvaratskhelia from 12 yards, though after Ballard was punished.

In the 64th minute following a VAR review, Northern Ireland did concede a penalty, with the 27-year-old adjudging to drag Luka Kichoshvili down illegally.

Ballard appeared absolutely baffled by the decision, and the Premier League's officials are now being blamed for this exact situation.

Dan Ballard 'conditioned' to grappling in the Premier League

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Hackett believes that Premier League players are allowed to get away with far too much, leading to Ballard giving away a penalty against Georgia.

"See, what this highlights is we've become conditioned in the English Premier League to grappling, holding and pulling," he said.

"And the outcome of that is they get away with it often. When they come to the international scene and you've got a player from another country, their approach to holding doesn't necessarily bring in the amount of force.

"Therefore, that's the way in which teams have to adapt when they're playing international football. They're coming across referees from different countries who apply the law slightly differently.

"This is one of the reasons why I've said we need to be firm and take stronger action on grappling inside the penalty area. You know full well that in other countries, generally, they're doing their job."

Sunderland face anxious injury wait

If conceding a penalty wasn't bad enough, Ballard was forced off with an injury just moments from full-time after pulling up with a hamstring issue.

The centre-half has already returned to the Stadium of Light, having withdrawn from the national team squad, and is awaiting the results of scans.

It also appears that Brian Brobbey could be out for quite some time after going off against Germany, suffering a similar fate as his teammate.

With the Black Cats currently sitting 14th in the Premier League table, Regis Le Bris simply can't afford these blows to be long-term.