Sunderland 1-0 Newcastle: Keith Hackett Calls For Change to ‘Stupid Law’

The first Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2017 didn’t disappoint as Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland secured a huge victory against Eddie Howe’s struggling Newcastle United.

Nick Woltemade has been in impressive form since joining the Magpies in the summer, but the German forward fired a header into his own goal to hand the Black Cats a massive victory. That wasn’t the only major blow for Howe’s men, as a key starter suffered a nasty injury.

Defender Dan Burn was caught by a ‘reckless’ Nordi Mukiele challenge, and was eventually withdrawn after carrying on for over five minutes. The England international is now reported to have suffered a punctured lung and fractured rib. The incident has led Keith Hackett to call for a major rule change in the Premier League.

Keith Hackett Demands Rule Change After ‘Stupid’ Dan Burn Incident

Dan Burn vs Sunderland

Hackett – who was previously in charge of the PGMOL and a FIFA referee – has slammed a ‘stupid’ law in football that he wants to see changed. It comes after Burn was forced to spend 30 seconds off the pitch after the collision with Mukiele, despite clearly being in legitimate pain.

Speaking to Football Insider, the retired ref stated that a yellow card was the correct punishment for the Sunderland man: “It was a reckless challenge from the Sunderland player, and he received a yellow card, which was the right decision.

“He’s coming in at pace; he’s hit Burn in the chest, and he was clearly struggling. He’s got this iron-man reputation. He’s someone anybody would want in their team.”

The ex-official then stated that it was ridiculous that Burn was forced off the pitch even after clearly suffering a real injury. Hackett added: “He went back on, and that was surprising to me. The one stupid piece of law here, though. The Sunderland player got the yellow card, and Burn was clearly injured.

“But he has to go off, wait thirty seconds before he’s allowed back on. Somehow, there should be a point at which you don’t have to wait 30 seconds.”

Sunderland and Newcastle Set for Hefty FA Fines

Sunderland vs Newcastle

Despite being one of the fiercest rivalries around, the match didn’t flare up on too many occasions. However, one incident is expected to lead to ‘charges’ for both clubs.

A challenge on Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs led to a scrap between both sets of players, and Hackett believes the FA will punish the clubs, as the images can look damaging. He said: “It’s easy money for the FA. No doubt that both clubs will be charged and also fined quite a bit. Even though it’s a local derby, it’s the images being beamed around the world that the FA want to protect.”