The reason why ex-Premier League official wants Chelsea and Arsenal to both be fined after fiery London derby
Chelsea and Arsenal players were seen to surround the referee during their 1-1 draw at the weekend
Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett thinks that Chelsea and Arsenal deserve to be fined for how they treated referee Michael Oliver during their 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.
The two teams were seen to surround Oliver after Arsenal seemingly opened the scoring through Kai Havertz after the Gunners quickly took a free-kick before Chelsea were ready to react.
The Blues’ players ran straight to the referee after the goal went in and several Arsenal players then joined. The goal was ruled out due to an offside decision from VAR. However, Hackett believes that Oliver should report the way the players treated him which could result in a fine for both sides after their draw on Sunday.
Speaking to Football Insider, the former Premier League Official said: “Michael Oliver has made a decision and players have surrounded him, I hope he’s reported the matter to the FA. If he does, then both teams could be charged for failing to control their players.
“The general view is that three or more players surrounding the referee is an offence that should be reported by the referee to the competition. To be consistent, both clubs should be charged for failing to control their players, that’s an important one.”
Hackett believes that the Premier League should have taken a leaf out of FIFA’s book as at the last World Cup in Qatar, only the captain of each team was allowed to dispute issues with the referee.
He added: “For some reason, the Premier League and PGMOL decided not have that procedure in place in the Premier League, and that was a massive error. If they’re not going to have that, then the referees deserve the right to be protected.”
Chelsea struggling with disciplinary issues in the Premier League
Chelsea players Levi Colwill, Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke and Marc Cucurella all received yellow cards against rivals Arsenal on Sunday which has taken the Blues’ yellow card tally up to 42 which is the most in the Premier League.
The Blues have received the most yellows by five cards over Southampton who have the second-most in the league so far this season. It is an issue that manager Enzo Maresca will be keen to improve as they will begin to face further suspensions if it continues which could be damaging.
Both Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana have the most yellows in the Premier League on six as they have both already served one suspension so far this season. If Nicolas Jackson and Pedro Neto receive one more yellow, they will also face one-match bans as they will have had five yellows so far this season.