Ex-PGMOL chief urges EFL to 'investigate' controversial incident in Sunderland & Preston North End draw

Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has urged the EFL to investigate the kind of time-wasting behaviour that marred Sunderland’s 1-1 draw with Preston North End on Tuesday evening.

The Black Cats fell behind to a well-taken strike from Lilywhites striker Emil Riis partway through the second half, and found themselves chasing the contest at the Stadium of Light as a consequence prior to Romaine Mundle’s late equaliser. In a bizarre turn of events, however, the match was interrupted for a prolonged period of time after a Preston player initially went down with an apparent head injury. The player quickly got back to his feet, but another member of Paul Heckingbottom’s side then went down with a separate injury.

That second player was substituted off, only for yet another Preston player to go down injured. There was then a long pause as North End readied their next substitution, then and another delay as the match officials realised the visitors somehow had twelve players on the pitch.

And in the aftermath of the ill-tempered affair, Hackett has suggested that the relevant governing bodies need to do more to eradicate similar incidents in the future. Speaking to Mackem News, he said: “The EFL and The FA need to investigate this negative approach to the game and the clear acts of simulation to delay the restart.

“The referee should receive some operational advice, and I was surprised by his lenient approach. Firstly, he should have taken the captain of both teams to one side and issue a clear warning stating that he is aware of what’s going on and that he will start to sanction players with a yellow card for acts of simulation or attempting to waste time.“

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Addressing the fact that play almost resumed with twelve Preston players out on the field, Hackett continued: “Why was an additional player on the field of play when the law on substitutions is clear? This is to ensure the appropriate number of players are in the field of play.

“To replace a player with a substitute, the following must be observed: the referee must be informed before any substitution is made. So, that extra player should be sanctioned for entering the field of play without permission.

“The fourth official standing in the technical area should have stopped that extra player coming onto the field of play and determined who has come off. Clearly, someone has sneaked onto the field without permission. Whilst I do not condone what has gone off here, I hope that the match officials involved will review what happened and how it can be avoided in the future.”

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