Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett believes Peter Bankes was right to reject Enzo Fernandez’s penalty appeal during Manchester City’s defeat at Aston Villa.
Hackett reviewed the incident for Football Insider and argued that the contact from Joao Gomes did not have enough force to justify Fernandez going to ground. He rated the attempt to win a spot kick nine out of ten for diving.
Hackett explained that a forceful push usually involves an arm bending and then straightening. In his view, Fernandez’s hands were extended, but the contact did not explain the fall. He also raised the wider question of how referees are coached to judge similar challenges consistently.
The incident came amid several penalty appeals in Saturday’s match. Johan Manzambi and Iliman Ndiaye were also left without spot kicks, while Aston Villa went on to win through a brace from Nicolas Jackson. Erling Haaland scored once for City.
Hackett’s assessment was that Bankes handled the Fernandez incident correctly, even as debate around the decision continued after the match.