Ex-FIFA official accuses Newcastle star of cheating after what he saw vs Barcelona tonight
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Credit: Imago Wed 18 March 2026 20:17, UK Newcastle United star Anthony Elanga did not deserve to win a penalty and should have been given a yellow card after going down in the Barcelona area under challenge from Joao Cancelo. Former PGMOL chief and FIFA referee Keith Hackett has exclusively told Football Insider that referee Francois Letexier made the right call in denying Newcastle a spot kick.Elanga wanted a penalty in the 38th minute after he raced behind the Barca defence to latch on to Kieran Trippier’s pass and went down after feeling contact from Cancelo.Referee Letexier stood firm against his claims, and VAR official Bram van Driessche backed up his call as play went on.This could be Newcastle’s last Champions League match for a while after their 7-2 loss at the Camp Nou, but it might have been different had they been given a penalty in the first half.
MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES Keith Hackett insists Anthony Elanga dived and should have been bookedNewcastle crashed out of the Champions League with aplomb in Catalonia as Barcelona’s second-half onslaught proved too much for their tired legs.Elanga scored both of their goals and certainly got the better of Cancelo in the first half, but he did go down very softly under challenge from the right-back.Minutes played64′Goals2Accurate passes8/14Chances created1Touches in opposition box3Ground duels won0/2Elanga’s stats vs BarcelonaHackett has told Football Insider that Letexier was right to avoid pointing to the spot, but he should have booked Elanga for simulation too.He said: “The Newcastle United player should have received a yellow card for an act of simulation attempting to deceive the referee.“He goes to ground too easily.”Elanga could be sold by Newcastle after tough debut seasonElanga has certainly not pulled up any trees on Tyneside since his £55million move from Nottingham Forest last summer.His two goals at the Camp Nou were his first in the Champions League this season after ten appearances in the competition, while he has netted just once more in 33 games in other competitions so far.Sources have told Football Insider that Newcastle plan to double their season ticket prices as they prepare to head into next term without European football and the huge financial boost that comes with it.One way to raise funds would surely be to sell Elanga, as other than this one game, he has looked off the pace all campaign and has failed to adapt to Eddie Howe’s style of play.