Ex-refs chief: Chelsea star 'could have sparked mass brawl' after 'aggressive' incident
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Harri Burton
Mon 15 September 2025 13:02, UK
Stuart Attwell should have punished Moises Caicedo after the Chelsea midfielder lashed out during the draw against Brentford.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the referee was wrong not to sanction the 23-year-old during the 2-2 draw.
Cole Palmer returned from injury to score the Blues’ equaliser, with Kevin Schade opening the scoring for the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, 13 September.
New signing Jamie Gittens was destroyed by Chelsea fans for his performance, and it took a special strike from Caicedo to score before Fabio Carvalho stole a point back three minutes into added time.
While Caicedo’s strike was a major talking point for Enzo Maresca‘s side, the ball-winning midfielder was lucky not to be sanctioned after a coming-together with Schade.
In the 52nd minute, the Ecuador international was brought down by his opponent, and in a moment of total frustration, he got back up to shove Schade to the floor in an aggressive manner.
Attwell took charge of the incident, speaking to both players before waving play on, but Hackett believes that the referee should have taken further steps to warn the star for his actions.
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Caicedo is known for his full-blooded challenges and rash decisions on the pitch, having picked up 11 yellow cards in the Premier League last season, and he was lucky not to receive another.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “I think the referee is entirely wrong here.
It’s a deliberate push on an opponent, it’s an act of aggression, and the minimum should have been a yellow card.
“I have no doubts about that.
I know Stuart Attwell has been a bit card-happy, and he’s tried to moderate the number of cards he’s applied recently.
“However, this is an act of indiscipline.
It’s an act of retaliation.
It’s completely unnecessary, and it could have sparked a mass brawl. It didn’t because the opposition didn’t overreact, but it’s a yellow card all day, every day.”