“We demand justice” – Mikel Arteta appeared to be furious on the touchline but eventually confronted ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett who now have his say on the controversial challenge
Keith Hackett Gives His Verdict on Norgaard’s Tackle on Martinelli During Arsenal 1-1 Brentford
Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has torn into officials after they decided not to send Christian Norgaard off for a reckless challenge on Gabriel Martinelli during Brentford vs Arsenal. The two London-based clubs met in the Premier League on Sunday and couldn’t be separated as the match finished 1-1.
Thomas Partey gave the Gunners the lead, but they were pegged back by Yoane Wissa and forced to share the spoils. Things could have gone very differently, though, had Norgaard been shown a red card for his foul on Martinelli in the first half of the match. The Brentford man launched in with a high, reckless challenge, but the referee, Simon Hooper deemed it only worthy of a yellow card. VAR then took a look and agreed with the official’s on-field decision.
Now, former referee Hackett has blasted them for that decision and thinks that Norgaard should have received his marching orders for what he deemed was a foul that ‘endangered’ Martinelli.
Hackett Thought Norgaard Should Have Been Sent Off
He described the foul as excessive
After Norgaard launched into a dangerous tackle on Martinelli in the first half, eyebrows were raised when the Brentford man was only shown a yellow card. Now, former referee Hackett has spoken out about the decision and criticised the officials for not sending him off. Speaking to Football Insider, in a video shared on their social media channels, he said:
“Norgaard came into Martinelli at pace, off the ground and with a scissor action on the right leg of Martinelli. Excessive force, endangered the safety of the opponent and there was a degree of malice in it. As a result, for me, that is a red card offence and that should have been the outcome. Not yellow. It was more than a reckless challenge.”
Instead, he was only shown a yellow and was allowed to see out the majority of the game, until he was substituted in the 91st minute, as his team bagged a point against Arsenal. It’s the latest in a series of dropped points recently for the Gunners, who continue to see their title aspirations slip even further away.