Exclusive: Lampard faces sanction despite justified Coventry fury over Luton loss
Keith Hackett has reacted to comments made by Coventry City manager Frank Lampard following his side’s defeat to Luton Town.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the 46-year-old could find himself in trouble with the FA after his complaints about the decision not to send off Isaiah Jones.
There had been questions about where Lampard’s managerial career would go if he failed with Coventry after he took over late last year, after previous unsuccessful spells with Everton and former club Chelsea.
However, the ex-England international has taken the club clear of the Championship relegation zone, and they currently sit in the Championship play-off place with one game of the regular season to go.
That has led to claims that Lampard should be in contention for Manager of the Year in the Championship, for the job he has done with the Sky Blues.
A late defeat to Luton at Kenilworth Road on Saturday (26 April) however, has prevented Coventry from confirming their place in the Championship play-offs yet.
Frank Lampard rages as Isaiah Jones avoids sending off
The meeting between the two sides was a dramatic one, with Jay Dasilva being sent off for Lampard’s side for denying a goalscoring opportunity after just 13 minutes.
Midway through the second half, Luton midfielder Liam Walsh was shown a straight red card for a push on Luis Binks to even things out at ten men a piece.
However, the Hatters avoided going to nine men with five minutes of normal time remaining, when Jones avoided a red card after aiming a kick at Josh Eccles directly in view of the assistant referee.
Both the Luton and Coventry players were instead booked after they had grappled and tussled for the ball, and Shandon Baptiste then went onto score a last-minute winner for the Hatters.
Speaking after the game, Lampard suggested he is hoping for a “level playing field”, claiming he also felt his side should have been playing against ten in their defeat to Plymouth the previous week.
The former Chelsea midfielder also said he could understand the Dasilva dismissal, but that he would like referees to come out and be interviewed to justify decisions such as the one not to send Jones off.
The Coventry manager claimed he does not want to get “in trouble”, stating he feels he should be able to say when a refereeing performance is substandard, just as his management is critiqued.
Hackett though, believes that Lampard could nevertheless be under scrutiny from the FA, even if he feels he has a right to be frustrated about the fact Jones was not sent off.
Coventry City boss facing sanction despite costly refereeing decision’ – Keith Hackett
After being asked about the decision not to send Jones off, and if Lampard could be punished for what he said post-match, the former referee told Football Insider:
“The fact here in law for a red card is kicks, or an attempt to kick, an opponent. So there is justification in law to red card that player.
“Even though that player has been dragged and spun and there’s an element of frustration, the last thing he can do is kick out at an opponent. So he’s very fortunate not to have a red card.
“When it comes [the] manager’s comments, I can understand the frustration. But the reality is there is a criteria, procedure that’s there in place that I’ve talked about before.
“Thirty minutes after the game he’s calmed down, he can knock on the referee’s door, and seek clarification of that particular incident from the match referee.
“He can ask why has this player not been dismissed. The referee then hopefully can give that explanation.
“He might say that there’s not sufficient excessive force, he can use law to try and expand why he dodn’t send off the player.
“So if Lampard then has received that communication, and he’s unhappy, what he can do is, he’s got a report that he issues and he can write his remarks, mark the referee accordingly. That then is submitted.
“The other thing he can do is he can pick the phone up and say to the PGMOL, Mike Jones who runs the referees at Championship level and Football League level and ask to discuss this particular incident.
“Or he can use the video clip, send a letter and say ‘please explain to me what is your view on this incident.
“So I think there are channels in which he can avoid opening himself up to being fined by the Football Association.
“Because when he makes reference – and I understand his frustration – but when he makes reference to a level playing field, he’s actually questioning the intergrity of the match official.
“That’s where the FA are likely to say ‘we’re duty bound to investigate that’, ask for Lampard’s comments and observations, then determine whether in fact they’ll start to apply sanctions. That’s why things are in place.”
Coventry now go into the final day of the Championship knowing that victory at home to Middlesbrough will guarantee them a place in the play-offs, and chance of promotion to the Premier League.
