Keith Hackett

Keith Hackett is a former football referee, who began refereeing in local leagues in the Sheffield, South Yorkshire area in the 1960s and went on to officiate Olympic and European Championship matches in the 1980s and Premier League football matches in the 1990s. Keith is counted amongst the top 100 referees of all time and is a former head of the Professional Game Match Officials, which manages the refereeing across all Premier League and Football League matches.

Keith started writing for caughtoffside in 2021.
Arsenal vs Man City made it clear and obvious that we need more consistency with VAR but “petulant” Gabriel can have no complaints
Each weekend, the debate on Premier League games sadly doesn’t focus on the quality and skillsets of players that we are privileged...
Manchester City Arsenal FC
Ex Premier League ref proposes major VAR change and names non-red for Tottenham star as “prime example” of broken system
The Video Assistant Referee operation in the English Premier League is, frankly, a shambles and not fit for purpose. There needs to...
Liverpool FC Tottenham FC
Jon Moss could have handled Zaha better at Spurs, says Keith Hackett as ex-ref blasts unathletic coasters among Premier League officials
One of the reasons for the formation of the PGMOL was to ensure that referees can prepare thoroughly for the unceasing demands...
Tottenham FC Manchester City
Man City vs Wolves: Former ref advises Jon Moss and Andre Marriner to “start collecting their pensions” after “unacceptable” decision
When I am coaching young referees I will on more than one occasion refer to the process of decision-making which is to...
Manchester City Wolverhampton Wanderers
Watford vs Man City referee Simon Hooper deserves more matches
Referee Simon Hooper is still trying to establish himself in the elite panel of Premier League referees. Colleagues Anthony Taylor, Michael Oliver...
Manchester City Watford FC
Tottenham fans won’t be happy about what happened at Turf Moor but their inconvenience was unavoidable
With storm Arwen causing chaos Friday evening and overnight, I opened the curtains early Saturday morning to see a thick covering of...
Tottenham FC Burnley FC
Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta row cooled by good officiating but missed red card at Burnley left Sean Dyche understandably annoyed
I was interested to read a recent document that highlighted that in 100 Premier League games VAR had overturned 44 refereeing decisions....
Liverpool FC Arsenal FC
Newcastle official must avoid over-reliance on VAR, says Keith Hackett
David Coote officiating his sixth Premier League game of the season walked off the pitch satisfied that he had managed to avoid...
Newcastle United FC Brighton and Hove Albion
Keith Hackett column: Leicester vs Arsenal ref should revisit rulebook after failing to do what counterpart got right at Man City
There was contrasting outcomes for two players this weekend due to the inconsistent application of the laws of the game by two...
Manchester City Arsenal FC
Keith Hackett column: Red cards missed in Wolves and Crystal Palace games show refs need to do more to protect players
The PGMOL, the body responsible for referees operating at the top level of the game in England, are making much more use...
Newcastle United FC Wolverhampton Wanderers
Keith Hackett column: Well done to Craig Pawson for how he handled this tricky moment during Leicester City vs Man United
This weekend in Leicester City v Manchester United, referee Craig Pawson witnessed a reckless challenge by United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka on Leicester’s Timothy...
Manchester United FC Leicester City FC
Keith Hackett column: Referee Kateryna Monzul and female assistants handled Andorra vs England well… I wonder if we will see a team of women officials take charge in the Premier League soon
There can be no doubt that both FIFA and UEFA, the two major governing bodies of football, are keen to accelerate the...
England National Team