Credit: Fulham FC via YouTube / USA Network

Ben Palmer

Sat 16 August 2025 15:53, UK

Fulham’s young star Josh King attempted to dupe referee Samuel Barrott in the opening half of their match against Brighton, according to Keith Hackett.

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The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the match official had a simple decision to make when the 18-year-old went down in the Seagulls’ penalty area.

Brighton have beaten Fulham just once in the Premier League, although that win came in the last match-up between the two sides.

Joao Pedro scored the winner when Fulham and Brighton last met.

(Credit: Imago)

A 98th-minute penalty from Chelsea’s summer signing Joao Pedro gave Fabian Hurzeler’s men all three points back in March.

Fulham‘s side that took on Brighton on Saturday, 16 August at the Amex featured no new signings, but King was handed the number 10 role by his manager.

This article contains exclusive comments from ex-PGMOL chief, FIFA official and former professional referee Keith Hackett.

With Marco Silva‘s faith entrusted in him, largely because of a lack of transfer activity from Fulham this summer, King looked to take charge of the match early on.

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The England Under-19 international got on the ball early and often, and in the eighth minute, King broke into Brighton’s penalty box.

The technical young midfielder worked his way to the by-line, cutting inside, before being sandwiched between Bart Verbruggen and Jan Paul van Hecke.

Despite there being contact that resulted in King being sent tumbling to the ground, VAR took a look and was not convinced that Barrott had made a mistake.

Speaking to Football Insider exclusively, ex-PGMOL chief Hackett broke down the incident and what Barrott should have done.

He said: “The simple decision here, if the referee is doing his job, is to award a free kick for a holding offence against the attacker.

“It is not a penalty kick, another example of a forward trying to manufacture a penalty kick unfairly.

“[This] really did not require VAR intervention.”

When asked if King should have seen a card for the incident, Hackett said: “No, the approach by the referee should have been to call the captain over and take him and the player to one side and issue him with a verbal warning.”

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