{"id":84103,"date":"2025-07-29T13:57:20","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T13:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=84103"},"modified":"2025-07-29T13:57:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T13:57:20","slug":"pgmol-insider-fa-to-suspend-ref-over-porros-serious-tottenham-v-reading-incident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=84103","title":{"rendered":"Pgmol Insider: FA to suspend ref over Porro’s ‘serious’ Tottenham v Reading incident"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pgmol<\/p>\n

Brighton loanee Mark O\u2019Mahony was extremely fortunate not to receive a red card during Reading\u2019s pre-season clash against Tottenham Hotspur, according to former Premier League referee and ex-head of PGMOL, Keith Hackett.<\/p>\n

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Hackett didn\u2019t hold back in criticizing the officials\u2019 failure to send off the 20-year-old striker during Reading\u2019s 2-0 defeat to Spurs on Saturday, 19 July. O\u2019Mahony, currently on loan with the League One side, was at the center of controversy following a dangerous tackle on Tottenham defender Pedro Porro in what was otherwise a celebratory start to Thomas Frank\u2019s reign as Spurs\u2019 new head coach.<\/p>\n

Frank, who recently took the reins following Ange Postecoglou\u2019s departure, saw his side make a confident statement in their first pre-season outing under his leadership. Goals from young prospects Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic sealed the win for Spurs, while marquee summer signing Mohammed Kudus also made his debut following a \u00a355 million move from West Ham, as reported by BBC Sport. Kudus wasted no time making an impression, assisting Vuskovic\u2019s goal with a sharp, well-timed pass, offering a glimpse of his creative flair in Tottenham colours.<\/p>\n

However, the mood shifted momentarily when Porro was on the receiving end of a reckless lunge from O\u2019Mahony. The young Irish forward, clearly fired up for the match, went in hard with a sliding tackle that left the Spanish full-back writhing on the ground. Although Porro managed to get back on his feet and continued playing until half-time, many watching\u2014both in the stadium and online\u2014felt O\u2019Mahony\u2019s challenge warranted more than just a yellow card.<\/p>\n

Hackett, who served as a FIFA-listed official and later oversaw referees as head of PGMOL, criticized match referee Farai Hallam for not showing O\u2019Mahony a red card. He suggested that the incident could have serious consequences for the official, especially as the FA places increased emphasis on enforcing the Laws of the Game uniformly, even in friendlies.<\/p>\n

\u201cReferees are reminded at their annual conferences that there is no such thing as a \u2018friendly\u2019 when it comes to officiating,\u201d Hackett explained. \u201cThe laws of the game must be applied the same way, whether it\u2019s a Premier League final or a pre-season warm-up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the incident, Hackett said: \u201cThat is a clear red card offence. O\u2019Mahony left the ground, went in with his studs showing, and caught the player with excessive force. That\u2019s the textbook definition of serious foul play. It doesn\u2019t matter that it\u2019s July and not January. The danger to player safety is the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that while Hallam may not have had a clear view of the tackle due to the positioning of O\u2019Mahony\u2019s body obscuring the challenge, that\u2019s exactly why assistant referees are there\u2014to step in when the referee\u2019s line of sight is blocked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this case, the assistant referee should have intervened. That\u2019s why they\u2019re called assistants. They\u2019re there to support the referee in moments like this, and this moment was a red card all day long,\u201d Hackett insisted.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Hackett highlighted how the culture around pre-season matches has evolved. \u201cIn my day,\u201d he recalled, \u201cwe\u2019d give a nod to the sidelines, and the manager would quietly substitute the player to avoid escalating the situation. But the FA doesn\u2019t operate like that anymore. Yellow and red cards issued in friendlies carry consequences\u2014fines, suspensions, and even bans. Even grassroots referees who don\u2019t report disciplinary incidents in friendlies correctly can be suspended.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although no injuries were reported after full-time and Pedro Porro appeared unharmed, the tackle raised serious questions about player protection and consistency in officiating. For Tottenham, the good news was that Frank\u2019s tenure began with a positive performance, featuring promising displays from both young talents and big-money arrivals. Yet the incident involving O\u2019Mahony served as a reminder that, even in pre-season, discipline and safety cannot be taken lightly.<\/p>\n

As Tottenham prepare for the new Premier League campaign, they will hope to avoid further controversies like this and focus instead on integrating new signings, building squad chemistry, and delivering on their ambitions under their new head coach. But for the FA and PGMOL, Hackett\u2019s comments may spark deeper conversations about referee accountability and enforcement\u2014even during matches that some still view as \u201cjust\u201d friendlies.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brighton loanee Mark O\u2019Mahony was extremely fortunate not to receive a red card during Reading\u2019s pre-season clash against Tottenham Hotspur, according to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":84104,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"yoast_head":"\nPgmol Insider: FA to suspend ref over Porro's 'serious' Tottenham v Reading incident - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=84103\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pgmol Insider: FA to suspend ref over Porro's 'serious' Tottenham v Reading incident - 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