Ex-referee Hackett says West Brom player should have been sent off in Preston draw
Preston North End drew 1-1 with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, with manager Graham Alexander expressing frustration at several refereeing decisions that went against his side. According to the Lancashire Post, the most contentious moment came when West Brom's Ousmane Diakite challenged Andrew Hughes with a high boot in the penalty area, an incident that Preston felt warranted both a red card and a penalty kick.
Former referee Keith Hackett, who previously headed PGMOL (now ProRef), gave his assessment of the incident to West Brom News. Hackett stated he winced upon viewing the challenge and believed it constituted serious foul play warranting dismissal. He argued that the referee should have awarded a penalty regardless of whether Diakite made contact with the ball, emphasising that a dangerous follow-through matters even when the initial contact is clean.
The incident left those at Deepdale confused, with debate subsequently spreading across social media. Hughes, who had opened the scoring for Preston, remained relatively unaffected by the collision and regained his feet before Diakite did, though this did not influence the referee's decision not to intervene.
Hackett suggested that referee Elliot Bell required guidance from ProRef on the incident. He indicated he would review the clip with Bell, questioning his positioning, viewing angle and decision-making process. Alexander secured his first point as Preston manager through the draw, though the controversial refereeing decisions left him visibly dissatisfied with the outcome.
