Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett had Nathan Tella firmly in his sights on Twitter as he singled out the Southampton prodigy for criticism.
Hackett admonished the youngster over an alleged dive in Leeds’ penalty area in the Saints’ most recent defeat in a torrid run of form, this time 3-0 at Elland Road.
Tella initially garnered a penalty for his actions, but a VAR check reversed the original decision and the 21-year-old found his name swiftly entered into the referee’s book for a dive.
The former referee was asked about the incident on Twitter by a Leeds fan who said: “Do refs not give bookings for blatant dives now?”. Hackett replied: “Too much of it ignored by referees. It really is time for them to clamp down. Cheating should not be tolerated.”
Too much of it ignored by referees. It really is time for them to clamp down. Cheating should not be tolerated. https://t.co/GQ6xtls8IN
— KEITH HACKETT (@HACKETTREF) February 24, 2021
The former officials seemingly feels that Tella’s actions were merely the tip of the iceberg and symptomatic of a wider sporting failure staining the sport at large
Read Southampton Verdict
Hackett was entirely justified in his overall diagnosis of diving in the wider game, and Tella should not be subject to any specific singling-out.
Rather, Hackett’s comments could be fuel for a wider conversation as to whether match officials turn far too much of a blind eye to unsporting decisions in matches.
Leeds were fortunate that VAR had the capacity to overturn Tella’s regrettably deceptive actions, but without the decisive interventions of on-field officials, a yellow card may still seem to be a sensible risk in the minds of tricky forwards seeking to influence the score line in their favour by any means.
