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.
Keith Hackett column: VAR operator caused Real Madrid vs Sevilla penalty chaos
I see that there’s been a bit of a rumpus over the awarding of a penalty for Sevilla in their game against...
Real Madrid CF
Keith Hackett column: Unpopular opinion but Vestergaard red card was correct
I’m the first to criticise officials when I believe that they’ve got decisions badly wrong, however, it’s just as important to back...
Southampton FC Leicester City FC
Keith Hackett column: West Ham red card vs Chelsea was wrong and I fear refs are taking the lazy way out with VAR reviews
We’ve all found ourselves in that situation where it’s just easier to agree with a colleague and move on, but it’s concerning...
Chelsea FC West Ham FC
Keith Hackett column: Four Premier League refs should be retired immediately and VAR should be used like it is in the MLS
This has been the worst season of officiating in the Premier League since the formation of the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd...
Keith Hackett column: PGMOL support for Anthony Taylor after Burnley v Newcastle incident is a major worry
Once again PGMOL are in the spotlight after another errant decision from one of their officials. Newcastle United have every right to...
Newcastle United FC Burnley FC
Keith Hackett column: Give refs a blue card to help Premier League concussion confusion
It’s no surprise to me that clubs are still unaware of the protocols regarding head injuries during games. We saw a prime...
Sheffield United FC Leeds United FC
Keith Hackett column: Cristiano Ronaldo should be punished for unacceptable reaction but organisers of World Cup qualifiers let the game down
This weekend’s international fixtures passed by without too many problems by and large. However, the one incident that did come to light...
International Football
Keith Hackett column: Jon Moss cost West Ham vs Arsenal and referees should be dropped for their mistakes
Not a week goes by now without Premier League officials coming under intense scrutiny for their decision making. For years now, I...
Arsenal FC West Ham FC
Keith Hackett’s refereeing review: Fitness a genuine concern as Championship clubs demand talks with PGMOL over performance concerns
Officiating in the Premier League has taken a real pounding this season due to the handball law and a lack of consistency...
Keith Hackett on VAR: PGMOL must do more to educate referees on clear and obvious errors
Every single game will feature a decision from a referee which the fans won’t like and they probably won’t agree with, but...
Liverpool FC West Bromwich Albion FC
Former PGMOL boss Keith Hackett on head injuries in football – We must act before someone dies on the field
It seems remarkable when you consider everything that we know about brain injuries just now, but it’s taken far too long for...
Arsenal FC Wolverhampton Wanderers
Keith Hackett’s English refereeing review: Technology has changed the way we watch the Premier League – Let’s use it to our advantage to help VAR and the referees
The modern day football fan is used to having every angle of every game available at their fingertips, so it’s natural that...