Coventry v Leeds United controversy as ex-PGMOL chief speaks out on unseen incident
Regarding an unknown incident involving a Coventry City player during the loss to Leeds United, Keith Hackett has shared his thoughts.
Leeds opened a five-point lead over the two teams immediately below them in the Championship on Wednesday with a 2-0 victory over Coventry at the CBS Arena.
In his article on unnoticed moments for the Yorkshire Evening Post [6 February], Graham Smyth described an occasion in which tensions reached a boiling point.
Joel Latibeaudiere lashes out at referee in Coventry 0-2 Leeds United
During the game, Latibeaudiere is accused of shouting at referee Dean Whitestone, “You’re so bad at your job.”
That event happened after Joel Piroe was substituted and the man in the middle failed to get him to take the quickest way off the field.
On the pitch, Latibeaudiere escaped discipline of any kind, and former PGMOL chief Hackett does not anticipate that he will be punished further.
“The yellow card would be out like a flash if he yelled words like that in my ear,” Hackett stated in an exclusive interview with MOT Leeds News.
“The game and their colleagues are not being served well by referees who tolerate such remarks and fail to take necessary measures in response to protest.
“He ought to have pulled the player aside and offered suggestions for bettering his conduct. He would have received a yellow card if he had ignored the warning.
“There is probably not going to be any more action on this occasion.”
Leeds United on course for Premier League promotion
The win over Coventry provides the Whites some breathing room at the top after they were thrashed 7-0 by Cardiff City.
Although Daniel Farke has faced criticism this season, Leeds is precisely where many predicted they would be, and they must remain there.
The primary goal of the season is to return to the Premier League by May, but attention will now shift to an FA Cup fourth-round matchup with Millwall, in which Patrick Bamford is out.
