Brighton
(Credits: Sky Sports and Match of the Day)
Keith Hackett
Mon 24 March 2025 20:30, UK
Brighton attacker Joao Pedro could soon find himself being closely monitored by referees after repeated incidents of potential dives, Keith Hackett has said.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that referees have always paid more attention to players with a reputation for committing a specific offence.
It has been an impressive season for the Brazilian at the AMEX Stadium, where he has continued to turn in some excellent performances.
That has even led to suggestions that Brighton believe they can generate a big transfer fee for Pedro, although there is one aspect of his game that has proved more controversial.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has benefitted from the talent of Joao Pedro this season (Credit: Paul Terry/Sportimage)
Joao Pedro the subject of diving allegations
Back on 8 March, Pedro won a controversially awarded penalty in the final minute for Brighton against Fulham, before converting the spot kick to give his side a 2-1 win.
The following week as Fabian Hurzeler’s men travelled to the Etihad, Pedro went down in a clash with Man City defender Josko Gvardiol.
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Although the Brighton man’s reaction suggested he had been caught in the throat, replays clearly showed the contact had been with his chest.
With Pedro already on a booking at that point, he managed to avoid picking up a second yellow card that would have seen him sent off.
Even so, that could lead to him developing a reputation for diving, and Hackett believes that will naturally lead to referees watching him more closely on the pitch.
Joao Pedro for Brighton in 2024/25 Total (as per Transfermarkt)
Appearances 25
Goals 8
Assists 7
Yellow Cards 4
Red Cards 0
All competitions
‘Brighton ace to be watched after diving incidents’ – Keith Hackett
After being asked by Football Insider if referees could start to scrutinise Pedro more as an individual after successive incidents that could be deemed to be simulation, the FIFA ex-official said: “Yes, they’re human beings, and they prepare for games. So as a consequence, they build up a picture, either as a group of referees or individually.
“It’s almost like they mark their card. We know that sometimes for example when we were officiating people like Vinnie Jones, we’d keep an eye on him.
“We’d probably chat to him, to proactively prevent him from suddenly losing his cool, and therefore we were concentrating on him, and then when we looked at videos it was Lawrie Sanchez that was doing the fouling!
Keith Hackett on Joao Pedro Brighton dives
Keith Hackett believes Joao Pedro could start to attract the wrong sort of attention from referees
“So I think that in recognising acts of simulation that deceive the referee, it is a difficult area for referees. I can remember addressing all the managers in the Premier League and Football League, and stating, even ten years ago, that players are getting better at acts of simulation and deceiving the referee.
“And a defence mechanism comes into play with referees and that is “know your players”. We knew that Roy Keane could be naughty, and therefore we kept an eye on him.
“We knew that Franny Lee was a bit of a diver, for Man City and for Derby, so when he goes down, we might say ‘seven out of ten for that one, not good enough’. So yes, they gain a reputation.”
Brighton will be back in action after the international break on Saturday (29 March) when they host Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest in the quarter finals of the FA Cup.
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