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Referees will be keeping a close eye on Brighton’s brilliant Brazilian
Match officials will be keeping a closer eye of Brighton striker Joao Pedro – according to former PGMOL chief and ex-Fifa official Keith Hackett.
Albion’s Brazilian striker has been in fine form for the Seagulls with eight goals and seven assists in all competitions so far this term.
Pedro has been a key figure for seventh placed Brighton as they push for Champions League qualification and progress in the FA Cup – where they face Nottingham Forest this Saturday in the quarter-finals at the Amex Stadium.
Ex-referee Keith Hackett believes match officials will be keeping a close eye of Brighton's Joao PedroEx-referee Keith Hackett believes match officials will be keeping a close eye of Brighton's Joao Pedro
Ex-referee Keith Hackett believes match officials will be keeping a close eye of Brighton's Joao Pedro
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Pedro played for Brazil last week in their 2-1 World Cup qualifying win against Colombia and will also likely feature against Argentina tonight. He is set to return in time for Albion’s cup clash with Forest.
Hackett warning
But Hackett warned that referees could now be closely monitoring the Brighton striker after some controversial moments this season – including an incident last time out during the 2-2 draw at Manchester City.
Pedro, 23, had already been booked in the first half at the Etihad Stadium and was perhaps fortunate not to receive a second yellow for simulation when he went down clutching his throat after a clash with Josko Gvardiol. Replays showed contact with the chest.
Pedro also won and converted a debated penalty late in the 2-1 win against Fulham.
Hackett, was asked by Football Insider if Pedro is gaining an unwanted reputation with match officials. The ex-referee 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.
“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 10 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 10 for that one, not good enough’. So yes, they gain a reputation.”
Hurzeler happy with Pedro
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been delighted with Pedro’s contribution this term and hopes he – and fellow South American stars Pervis Estupinan and Diego Gomez – arrive back safely from long-haul international duty to take on Forest.
"They are very experienced with these situations,” said the Albion boss. “It's not the first time that they have this situation and therefore I am quite convinced and confident that they will come back in good shape with a good mindset.
"Hopefully all of their games will be positive, especially for the South American players. Whenever I talk with them about their national team, you can really feel the passion and the honour they have inside of them to play for their country.
"I see it more in a positive way that this will give them another boost to come back with hopefully a big victory for Diego, for Pervis and for Joao, and then they can help us for the final third of the season, so I am quite confident and convinced that this won't have a big impact in a negative way. More the opposite, I think it will help us in a positive way."
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