Former referee Keith Hackett has called for the officials who govern the game to sit down with Arsenal Football Club following Granit Xhaka‘s ‘ignorant’ comments.
The Swiss international was given a straight-red card for a reckless two-footed challenge on Joao Cancelo in our recent 5-0 loss to Manchester City, but he doesn’t appear to understand the reasoning behind the decision.
There is little complaint from anyone else upon seeing the challenge, with clear danger of serious injury to Cancelo if he had connected with the defender, but Xhaka himself claims he was shocked by the decision, and Hackett believes that he needs to be educated on the laws of the game.
“I’m quite clear on this,” Hackett told the Football Insider.
“It seems to me that someone from the PGMOL, accompanied by the chairman of the PGMOL, the club and the club manager need to get together. There needs to be a conversation here.
“This player clearly, in that statement, does not understand the laws of the game in relation to challenges.
“Whilst he’s ignorant to the laws of the game he will continue to make these challenges and will continue to get sent off.
“It’s in Arsenal’s interest to arrange that meeting. They’re not new. I’ve done them in the past where you have that debate and discussion with the manager.
“It was a clear red card and it will be a red card every time he continues to do it.
“He’s working on a law that’s from the dark ages. ‘You play the ball, that gets you out of jail’ – it doesn’t work like that anymore.”
I hope he doesn’t seriously believe that his challenge was faultless, as we really cannot afford to be getting red cards especially after our dismal start to the campaign.
Was Xhaka just trying to save face by pleading his innocence or could he really watch this replay and believe the decision was wrong?
Patrick