Willy Gnonto accused of cheating by ex-PGMOL chief after Leeds footage v Millwall
Willy Gnonto has been accused of cheating after Leeds United lost 2-0 to Millwall in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Daniel Farke’s men now only have their Championship promotion bid to focus on after being dumped out of the cup at Elland Road by the team 13 places below them in the second tier.
Femi Azeez scored twice for Millwall but Leeds did have a chance to get themselves back into the game five minutes after the away side’s second goal.
However, Pascal Struijk saw his 60th-minute penalty tipped onto the post by Liam Roberts after Gnonto, 21, was adjudged to have been fouled in the box by referee Gavin Ward.
Leeds star Gnonto should have been booked
Former PGMOL general manager Keith Hackett doesn’t think it should have been a penalty.
Luke Cundle didn’t seem to make much contact with the Italian forward, who threw himself down to the ground after simply feeling a touch from the Millwall player.
Hackett reckons that Ward should have instead shown a yellow card to Gnonto.
“Gnonto goes to ground far too easily and his act of simulation has deceived the referee,” Hackett told MOT Leeds News.
“The award of a penalty kick is wrong it should have resulted in a yellow card to the Leeds player for an act of simulation.“
Leeds simulation problem continues v Millwall
It’s not the first time in recent weeks where a Leeds player has tried to deceive an official into winning a foul.
Leeds midfielder Joe Rothwell was booked for diving against Norwich on 22 January when he tried to win a penalty despite the Whites winning 2-0.
Earlier, in the same game, Hackett also took aim at USA attacker Brenden Aaronson for going down too softly in the box.
Speaking to MOT Leeds News on 23 January, the former Premier League and FIFA-listed referee said: “Sadly we see many incidents where players go to ground the referee indicates no penalty kick and does nothing more.
“I would hope referees are encouraged to sanction where players attempt to cheat.”
Leeds will get the chance to bounce back from their defeat to Millwall when they take on Watford at Vicarage Road in the Championship on Tuesday night (11 February).