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Hackett demands Fifa stance change amid Brighton accusation - 'it's blatant cheating'
Kieth Hackett has urged Fifa to change their stance on retrospective reviews after Joel Veltman’s simulation for Brighton against Fulham on Saturday (18 February).
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee suggested that Fifa need to allow the FA to review simulation offences and hand out retrospective punishment.
Brighton lost 1-0 to Fulham on Saturday but heavily appealed for a penalty in the second half after a coming-together between Veltman and defender Antonee Robinson.
Referee Darren England waved away Brighton’s claims and replays showed that the official made the right decision.
Veltman himself admitted after the full-time whistle that it was the correct decision and revealed that he applauded England and praised him during the match.
An act of simulation is currently punished as a yellow card offence in the Premier League, but Hackett insists retrospective action needs to be introduced by the FA to truly stamp out this form of “cheating”.
“Veltman manufactured contact and I cannot understand it,” Hackett told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury.
“I know Fifa don’t want the authorities to re-referee games, but they have to change their stance here.
“The FA have to be allowed to bring in retrospective reviews on acts of simulation.
“They can’t single out one incident, all of them have to be addressed.
“Over the weekend, Ering Haaland did the same for Man City and that would also need to be looked at.
“I think that to some degree this is in the hands of managers – they can help the referees by stopping their players from doing it.
“It’s blatant cheating.“
In other news, Tottenham ‘hugely impressed’ by Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi as manager search takes twist