Keith Hackett makes referee claim after Sunderland’s draw at AFC Wimbledon

Former Premier League official Keith Hackett has criticised Simon Mather for the way he refereed Sunderland’s draw at AFC Wimbledon over the weekend.

The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in what was a feisty clash, as 13 players were shown cards, including Luke McCormick who was shown two yellow cards for the hosts and sent off late on.

And, speaking to Football Insider, Hackett claimed the fact Mather showed so many cards proves that he had ‘lost control’.

“When you look at that game, for the referee to issue 13 yellow cards and one red, that says to me that the referee lost control. Now, he may not have lost control of the game but he may have lost control of himself. His refereeing is ineffective.

“The yellow card is to be used as a warning. I think that referee needs some advice and some coaching so that he can make his future yellow cards more effective.”

The game was Alex Neil’s first in charge of the Black Cats, who are now four games without a win.

The verdict

You can understand Hackett’s point here and both sets of fans are sure to have been frustrated at the official from Saturday.

However, the players didn’t make it easy for Mather, and sometimes it’s easy to look at the official instead of blaming the players who did commit plenty of foul and tried to pressure him.

Ultimately, it’s sure to have been a learning experience for Mather, whilst Sunderland and Wimbledon will already be focused on the next game.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

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