Ex-PGMOL chief rages at 'unacceptable' referee mistake in Tottenham defeat vs Atletico Madrid

Keith Hackett believes Micky van de Ven can count his blessings that he wasn’t shown a red card in Tottenham Hotspur‘s 5-2 away defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

The Dutch centre-back slid in with both feet off the floor to wipe out David Hancko in the 38th minute of the round-of-16 clash.

Although Van de Ven got a fraction of the ball, he was completely out of control, and the Atletico Madrid bench were furious that referee Serdar Gozubuyuk didn’t give a red card, let alone a foul, for the challenge.

Van de Ven was at fault for the second goal when his slip allowed Antoine Griezmann to score, and a red card would have been the last thing that Tottenham needed after they conceded four goals in the opening 22 minutes at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

Tottenham’s 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid has left them with a huge mountain to climb in the second leg, but Hackett feels it could have been much worse for Spurs.

Micky Van de Ven should have been sent off vs Atletico Madrid

Van de Ven was dismissed against Crystal Palace on Thursday, and it’s safe to say that he got away with one in the Spanish capital.

The fact that Gozubuyuk wasn’t advised to go to the monitor is concerning, given the nature of the dangerous challenge.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, former PGMOL general manager Hackett couldn’t understand how Van de Ven escaped any repercussions from the incident.

The ex-referee said: “To not receive any sanction for this challenge is unacceptable officiating.

“Van De Ven has come in with force, clearly endangered the safety of his opponent, and frankly, that was serious foul play, and that should have seen him get a red card.”

The defender let his team down drastically last Thursday, and he was thankfully spared his blushes on a night where he was already playing poorly.

Micky van de Ven’s ill-discipline sums up Tottenham’s struggles

However, it represented a wider issue that the Tottenham players have completely lost their heads in recent weeks.

Not only have they been abysmal when it comes to maintaining discipline, but it’s now the second time in five days that Spurs have imploded over a small period in a match.

Against Atletico Madrid, they were second-best to every ball, and although the individual mistakes aren’t completely Tudor’s fault, you wonder what sort of message he is sending out to his players.

According to Sofascore, Spurs won just 42 per cent of their duels on Tuesday, which sums up a truly embarrassing display from every player on the pitch.

They somehow need to regroup and focus on Sunday’s match against Liverpool, but there’s nothing stopping them from conceding another five goals if they play the same way.

And if they continue to endanger their opponents out of pure petulance and frustration, then that could definitely happen.

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