Richard Keys has suggested Jamie Redknapp’s refusal to comment much on whether or not James Maddison should have been sent off against Nottingham Forest comes down to a ‘conflict of interest’.
Spurs hosted Forest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday evening, and with goals coming from Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro, as well as an own-goal from Murillo, cruised their way to all three points, comfortably beating Nuno Espirito Santo’s side 3-1.
However, the game, which, on paper, seemed straightforward for Ange Postecoglou’s side, was not without its controversy.
Attacking midfielder Maddison, 27, was embroiled in an off-ball incident with Forest’s Ryan Yates with the Spurs man appearing to make deliberate physical contact with his opponent.
And despite being urged to review the footage, referee Simon Hooper waved play on and kept his cards in his pocket.
Speaking at half-time about the clash, Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane said he didn’t believe the incident warranted punishment and advised Yates to ‘toughen up’.
Richard Keys suggests ‘conflict of interest’ punditry from Jamie Redknapp
Fellow pundit Jamie Redknapp then echoed the former Man United captain’s thoughts before moving on but Keys wasn’t happy with the pair’s assessment, particularly Redknapp, who he has accused of commercial bias.
“And was everybody in the bunker asleep when Maddison punched Ryan Yates off the ball at Spurs?” the BeIN Sports host wrote on his blog.
“It’s not so bad that Simon Hooper missed it – but it was as clear as day for VAR. Maddison should’ve been sent-off.
“I’m told Jamie Redknapp didn’t want to make much of the incident on Sky. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that Maddison models for Redknapp’s clothing company? If that’s not a conflict of interest I don’t know what is.”
Redknapp’s clothing line, named ‘Sandbanks’, was launched in 2023 and prides itself on being a company ‘inspired by luxury, driven by sustainability’.
Maddison has appeared in the past wearing the company’s trademark puffer jacket.
Following Keys’ comments, the Mirror claim to have requested comment from Redknapp.
