Former FIFA referee Keith Hackett has called for Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo to be investigated and banned after he was accused of diving to win a penalty against Burnley. The incident occurred during the Premier League match at Turf Moor, with the score at 0-0 when Gakpo went down under a challenge from Burnley midfielder Florentino Luis.
Hackett, a former head of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), described the incident as "a dive, and not a very good one." Speaking to Football Insider, he said: "No way is this a penalty, and it’s not even a clever one. This is why I’ve said we need a panel on a Monday, with a view to suspensions for players trying to cheat. We all want to win, but let’s win properly."
Despite the penalty award, Liverpool were unable to take advantage as Dominik Szoboszlai struck the crossbar from the spot. The Reds eventually took the lead through Florian Wirtz just before half-time, but Burnley equalised in the second half through Marcus Edwards to secure a 1-1 draw.
Burnley manager Scott Parker also felt the penalty decision was soft, but praised his side's response. "The penalty was soft but once the referee gives it on-field it’s never going to be overturned," he said. "The key for us was getting in at half-time still in the game so we could fix a few things."
