Wilfried Zaha: Crystal Palace robbed at Brentford as ‘surprising’ footage analysed – ex-Fifa official
Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha should have been awarded a penalty at Brentford on Saturday, according to Keith Hackett.
The former Fifa and Premier League official, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested the 29-year-old’s reputation preceded him at the Brentford Community Stadium.
As shown by footage from Sky Sports Football (12 February), Zaha went to ground following a tangle with Rico Henry late on in Saturday’s 0-0 draw.
On-field referee Simon Hooper decided it was no more than a coming together between the two players, and VAR official John Brooks did not deem the decision to be a clear and obvious error.
As quoted by the Daily Mail (13 February), Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira called for referees to treat Zaha like any other player in the division.
When asked by Football Insider‘s Dylan Childs for his assessment of the incident, Hackett said: “I genuinely thought that was a penalty.
“Zaha has a reputation of going down easily. Every fan would say that and I would agree.
“This is the danger that he faces by going down too easily at times. When he goes down and is fouled, and does not get a penalty, there is an error there that needs to be addressed.
“I was surprised VAR didn’t intervene, I have to say. I thought he was unlucky not to get a penalty on this occasion.”
Speaking on Zaha, Vieira said: “I just hope that the referee don’t have a special treatment for Wilfried Zaha.
“I just have to hope he is treated like every other player in the Premier League.”
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