Gnonto incident: Ex-FIFA official says if Leeds star now faces EFL ban
Willy Gnonto will not face any further action after he grabbed referee Oliver Langford in the 1-1 draw between Leeds United and Blackburn on Wednesday, according to Keith Hackett.
During the game, Gnonto didn’t face any consequences for his actions and it now seems that it’s set to stay that way.
The attacker was brought on late into the second half and likely didn’t have as much of an impact as he would’ve liked on the game.
Former Premier League referee Hackett believes that Langford was right to not overreact and take things further.
“Referee Oliver Langford is a very experienced official. If he thought the action was inappropriate he would have sanctioned with an immediate card,” Hackett told MOT Leeds News.
“He has not overreacted so it’s unlikely that any further action will be taken”.
Oliver Langford was right to not book Willy Gnonto for Leeds United
Although grabbing the referee could be seen as dangerous, it’s clear to see that there was no ill intent from Gnonto.
Mateo Joseph has just been brought down in the Rovers’ box and his teammates obviously went to make their case to try and earn a penalty.
Luckily, the referee didn’t overreact to the situation otherwise the Whites could have found themselves in a rather large pickle if the Italy international was shown a card.
Although they only left Elland Road with one point on 1 January, it feels like things are continuing in an upward fashion at Leeds which is obviously good news for their promotion hopes.
Farke’s men have remained at the top of the table after their 1-1 draw thanks to Burnley also sharing the points in their game against Stoke.
In other Leeds news, Dean Saunders was delighted with one star’s form after coming back from disappointment on international duty.
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