Former referees’ chief Keith Hackett has criticised Marc Cucurella for what he described as simulation during Chelsea FC’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United.
The incident happened in the second half at Stamford Bridge when Cucurella went down under pressure from Casemiro while appealing for a penalty. Replays suggested there was minimal contact, and the referee allowed play to continue.
Reacting to the situation, Hackett insisted the defender should have been punished for attempting to deceive the official.
“It’s a clear act of simulation, which deserves to be yellow-carded. If referees aren’t going to punish it, players are going to keep doing it,” Hackett said.
“They will eventually get what they want, which is to deceive the referee, and we get a wrong outcome. Referees have allowed it to grow this season.”
He also criticised the general handling of such incidents, suggesting officials are not doing enough to clamp down on diving.
“They’re rightly waving penalty shouts away, but the player has attempted to deceive them and still no action is taken. It’s cheating,” he added.
Referee Michael Oliver chose not to award a penalty or issue a booking, a decision Hackett believes sends the wrong message to players across the league.
Cucurella completed the match, but Chelsea were unable to recover as United held on for the win. The result leaves pressure mounting on manager Liam Rosenior, with the club now facing an uphill battle in their push for a top-four finish.
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