The recent FA Cup showdown between Aston Villa and Newcastle United may have ended in a victory for the Magpies, but the conversation following the final whistle hasn’t been about the scoreline. Instead, the footballing world is buzzing with frustration over the performance of the match officials. Specifically, a series of decisions involving Villa defender Lucas Digne has left experts and fans alike scratching their heads.
Among the loudest voices in this debate is Keith Hackett, the former chief of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and a veteran FIFA referee, who didn’t hold back in his assessment of the officiating team’s blunders.
The match itself was a high-stakes affair on February 14, 2026. Newcastle eventually secured their progression with a 3-0 win, thanks to two goals from Sandro Tonali and a third from Nick Woltemade. However, the path to that victory was paved with controversy.
While Aston Villa’s Marco Bizot was rightfully sent off, it was the handling of Lucas Digne that really drew Hackett’s ire. The most glaring error occurred when Digne committed a blatant handball. To the amazement of those watching, referee Chris Kavanagh awarded a free-kick on the very edge of the penalty area rather than a penalty.
Replays and still images quickly confirmed what many suspected in real-time: Digne was clearly inside the box when his hand made contact with the ball. There was no ambiguity; he wasn’t even hovering near the line. He was firmly within the restricted zone.
Hackett was left baffled by the lack of communication on the pitch, noting that Kavanagh should have received immediate help from his assistant referee. “Oh dear,” Hackett remarked during an exclusive discussion, highlighting the failure of the officials to intervene and correct a mistake that should have been obvious from their vantage points.
Although Newcastle managed to score from the resulting free-kick, the error remains significant. It points to a deeper issue regarding the standard of refereeing and the decision-making process in English football.
The fact that Tonali was able to fire home an equalizer from the edge of the box perhaps lessened the impact on the final result, but it doesn’t excuse the technical failure of the officiating crew. In a competition as prestigious as the FA Cup, where the margins for error are razor-thin, a missed penalty is a massive oversight.
However, the handball wasn’t the first time Digne found himself in the crosshairs of controversy during the match. Earlier in the first half, the French international was involved in a reckless challenge that Hackett believes should have resulted in an early bath.
In the 42nd minute, Digne launched into a sliding tackle on Newcastle’s Jacob Murphy. The challenge was high, fast, and dangerous, carrying a significant risk of causing a serious injury to the winger. At the time, Kavanagh reached into his pocket and produced only a yellow card.
Hackett’s analysis of this specific incident was blunt. He classified the tackle as “clear serious foul play,” a category that mandates an automatic red card under the laws of the game. Had the rules been applied correctly, Aston Villa would have been reduced to ten men much earlier in the game, potentially changing the entire tactical dynamic of the encounter. The cumulative effect of these missed calls suggests a worrying trend where on-field officials seem to be struggling with the fundamentals of the game, even with the safety net of modern technology.
This double controversy at Villa Park serves as a stark example of what many critics describe as an overreliance on VAR. There is a growing sense that referees and their assistants are becoming hesitant to make definitive calls in real-time, perhaps waiting for the “eye in the sky” to bail them out. However, when the technology fails to intervene or the on-field team misses the obvious, the integrity of the match is called into question. The FA Cup is famous for its drama, but the drama should come from the players, not from a lack of clarity in the refereeing.
The aftermath of this tie leaves Aston Villa with plenty to ponder, but the real pressure is on the PGMOL. When a former chief like Keith Hackett uses words like “baffled” to describe the performance of a Premier League referee, it indicates that the current system is under immense strain. Refereeing is an incredibly difficult job, and split-second decisions are never easy, but the handball incident in particular was a matter of simple geometry and positioning.
As Newcastle moves on to the next round, the debate over officiating will undoubtedly continue to rage. For Jacob Murphy, he is lucky to have walked away from the match without a serious injury. For the fans, they are left wondering why such high-profile errors are still occurring with such frequency. Until there is a meaningful shift in how officials communicate and utilize their assistants on the pitch, matches like this will continue to be defined by the whistles that didn’t blow rather than the goals that were scored.
Would you like me to look into the official PGMOL response to these incidents to see if they have issued a formal apology or explanation for the missed penalty?
