THE PITCH BAN: WHY KEITH HACKETT WANTS MANAGERS OFF THE GRASS FOR GOOD
Former PGMOL boss Keith Hackett urges the Premier League to ban managers from the pitch after Daniel Farke clashed with officials.
Keith Hackett wants the Premier League to ban managers from stepping onto the pitch after games, and it’s all because of what happened with Daniel Farke against Manchester City.
Leeds United lost 1-0 to Pep Guardiola’s team last Saturday. Honestly, they could have snatched a point; they played better than the score suggests, and you could see Farke’s frustration at full-time.
Earlier in the match, Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed a big chance, leaving Farke stunned, and by the end, tensions were still running high. When the final whistle blew at Elland Road, Farke shook Guardiola’s hand but then broke into a sprint straight for referee Peter Bankes. He clearly wasn’t happy with the officials, and the referee handed him a red card for his reaction.
That’s what really got Hackett going. The former PGMOL chief said he’s had enough of managers storming onto the pitch to confront referees. He told MOT Leeds News the Premier League needs a clear rule: managers should stay off the field after games, especially since they can always talk to officials later behind closed doors.
So far, Farke hasn’t spoken publicly about what happened. People inside Leeds have commented, but he’s stayed quiet.
Now everyone’s wondering if Farke will be on the touchline for the next game against Sunderland. The FA could ban him, but if past cases are anything to go by, he might still be on the sidelines Tuesday. When Arne Slot got a red card after last season’s Merseyside derby, he didn’t serve his two-match ban until two weeks later. Managers get a different process than players, so Slot stayed in the dugout until the ban came through.
If the FA follows a similar timeline, Farke might not find out his fate until just before Leeds play Crystal Palace away on March 14, or maybe before Brentford at home on the 21st. Then again, not every red card leads to a touchline ban. Earlier this season, Wolves’ Vitor Pereira got sent off for angrily kicking a ball, but he just got fined. That took two weeks too, so there’s a good chance Farke will be on the bench against Sunderland.
Still, Farke’s confrontation with the referee looked a lot more like Slot’s case than Pereira’s, so a ban feels likely, but for now, nothing’s certain.
SUNDERLAND CONDEMNS "VILE" RACIST ABUSE AIMED AT BRIAN BROBBEY AFTER SPURS WIN
Brian Brobbey targeted online! Sunderland and the Premier League unite against "vile" discrimination after Spurs win.
Sunderland called out the racist abuse aimed at Brian Brobbey on social media and made it clear they stand fully behind him.
Brobbey was targeted online right after Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. On Monday, the club released a statement: “Sunderland condemns in the strongest possible terms the racist abuse directed at Brian Brobbey on social media following Sunday’s fixture against Tottenham. We stand firmly with Brian and offer him our full and unwavering support.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first time Sunderland players have had to deal with this kind of abuse this season. After February’s match against Fulham, Romaine Mundle received hateful messages online, and last month the Tyne-Wear derby had to be paused when someone in the crowd reportedly aimed abuse at Lutsharel Geertruida.
The club’s statement continued: “This isn’t an isolated event. The recent abuse aimed at Romaine Mundle and Lutsharel Geertruida shows just how often and how unacceptably this keeps happening, both at matches and on the internet. We’ve reported this latest incident to the Premier League, the social media platforms, and the police, and we expect them to act quickly against the people responsible. Racism is vile, and it doesn’t belong in football or anywhere else. We’ll keep calling it out, clearly and without hesitation, every time it happens. Football should be safe and welcoming for everyone, no exceptions.”
The Premier League is backing Brobbey as well. In a post on their X account, they said they’re “disgusted by the ongoing discrimination” players keep facing online. “We stand alongside Sunderland in strongly condemning the online racist abuse Brian Brobbey has received and have offered our full support to him and the club. We are disgusted by the ongoing discrimination players are facing on social media and are committed to working with clubs, authorities, law enforcement, and social media companies to address this issue, as well as supporting investigations to bring those responsible to justice.
Anyone found guilty of discrimination will face the toughest possible punishments: jail time, football bans, and even a criminal record.”
DAVID MOYES REVEALS "NERVES" AS EVERTON HUNT HISTORIC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION SPOT
David Moyes admits Everton's Champions League hunt is nerve-wracking. See the latest on the Toffees' battle for Europe.
David Moyes admits the idea of Everton making the Champions League this soon in their rebuild actually makes him “shake a wee bit.”
You look at the club now, and it's hard to believe where they were just 14 months ago. When Moyes returned, Everton looked beaten down from years of fighting to stay up. Suddenly, with only seven games left, they’re sitting eighth. That spot could mean Europa Conference League football, but after their win against Chelsea before the break, they’re now just three points off fourth. It’s wild to even talk about the Champions League, but it’s right there in reach.
Reporters put the question to him how does it feel to be this close? With Europe’s spots possibly extending down to fifth (or maybe even further, depending on how other English clubs do), Moyes wasn’t hiding his nerves: “It’s probably the best shot we’ve had in a long time. But when I hear ‘Champions League’? Makes me shake a wee bit, honestly. I’ve been lucky to manage in Europe’s other competitions lately, and if we do make it, I’m sure we’d be able to hold our own at certain stages. Still, the Champions League is just on another level.”
Everton’s next match at Brentford looks huge for their European dreams. Brentford beat them earlier in the season, and right now, both teams are level, separated only by goal difference.
Moyes is clearly enjoying this chapter. “Listen, Europe’s Europe. If someone had said at the start, ‘You’re going to get European football,’ we’d have snapped their hand off. It could be the tiddlywinks European cup, and we’d be up for it. Evertonians want the club back in those conversations. We’re getting attention for the new stadium, we’ve got a couple of England internationals getting noticed more, it’s a good time. If we do sneak into the Champions League, it’d be an unbelievable achievement. But honestly, no matter which competition we make, it’s still a big step forward for us.”
