A former Premier League referee has called for the loophole which allowed Man City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to receive extended treatment against Leeds United to be eradicated.
Having fallen behind in the first half, Leeds mounted a dramatic second-half comeback at the Etihad after Daniel Farke changed his system at half-time.
Leeds were enjoying the best of the game after Dominic Calvert-Lewin gave his side a lifeline when goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down injured, receiving lengthy treatment on the pitch.
The break allowed Man City manager Pep Guardiola to deliver an impromptu team talk to his players, and Josko Gvardiol gave Donnarumma a thumbs up when play resumed, in a telling gesture.
Now, former Premier League referee Chris Foy has called for the loophole that allowed Donnarumma to be treated at length to be ‘eradicated’, after Farke complained about the incident after the game.
Who was your Leeds MOTM against Manchester City?
Daniel Farke.
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Former Premier League referee calls for change after Gianluigi Donnarumma incident
Speaking on TalkSport Breakfast on the morning of 1st December, former referee Foy called for the governing body to investigate the use of treatment for goalkeepers as a form of “tactical timeout”.
Former Leeds defender Jon Newsome called for Man City to be investigated after the incident, and Foy believes it needs to be “eradicated” from the game.
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Foy said: “It is a big talking point at the minute, and I think some people refer to them as tactical timeouts, don’t they, on the hour when a goalkeeper goes down. As a referee, you’re hamstrung, really. There’s not a great deal you can do.
“If a goalkeeper says, I’m injured, you can’t just say, ‘Well, you’re not seriously injured, let the game carry on.’ I do know that the governing body, IFAB, is talking about this, and there are lots and lots of people who have got lots and lots of ideas on how you eradicate it from the game.
Daniel Farke after Manchester City v Leeds United - Premier League
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“Only yesterday somebody was saying if a goalkeeper goes down at that point in the game, when we restart play, you take an outfield player off.
“I mean, there are lots of people who’ve got lots of ideas on it. I think that the governing body is going to have to look at this for sure, and how they’ll get around it, and we do see tweaks in the laws of the game.
“We’ve got a World Cup year coming up; there are always things on the agenda, so I would imagine this will certainly be one of them. But it does need eradicating from the game because it just doesn’t feel right.”
Pep Guardiola calls for time-outs after Leeds United incident
Speaking in his post-match press conference after his side’s victory against Leeds, City boss Guardiola called for the introduction of time-outs in Premier League games.
Phil Foden’s late winner consigned Leeds to a heartbreaking defeat after Lukas Nmecha had pulled them level with a rebound from the penalty spot.
Phil Foden gives Daniel Farke credit for his half-time switch🗣️
“It’s up there as one of the wildest games. We had full control in the first half. They changed their system in the second half and we couldn’t get going.”
Phil Foden after Leeds’ 3-2 loss to Man City
According to Guardiola, he had not spoken to Donnarumma about his injury before the game stopped.
“To be honest, I didn’t speak with Gigio,” The City boss said, “When it happened, I looked back to the dugout and said ‘James, warm up’. I don’t know. At the next press conference, you can ask me, and I will ask Gigio.
“Of course, I would love to have the time-outs. I’m pretty sure (if) we do it again, the Premier League will fine us again. It’s better that we not do it.”
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