On This Day – 20th October

Referee Keith Hackett (centre) tries to break up a fight between Arsenal and Manchester United players. (l-r) Alan Smith, Nigel WInterburn (on floor) Denis Irwin, Paul Ince, Gary Pallister, Referee Keith Hackett, Mark Hughes, David Rocastle, Anders Limpar, Mark Walters, Tony Adams and Brian McClair. A 21-man brawl marred the First Division match between Manchester […]

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Officially Speaking – with Keith Hackett

PREMIER LEAGUE REFEREE PERFORMANCE REVIEW WEEK 5 SATURDAY 17TH OCTOBER EVERTON V LIVERPOOL RESULT 2-2Referee: Michael OliverAssistants: Stuart Burt, Simon BennettFourth official: Paul TierneyVAR: David CooteAssistant VAR: Lee Betts There were three major talking points in this Merseyside derby.The first asked the biggest question and that was how did the Referee and VAR allow an […]

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An Update on the new Handball Rule – Keith Hackett

Referee Keith Hackett steps in as tempers flare between Manchester City’s Tommy Hutchison (l) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Garth Crooks (floor). (Photo by H. Routledge/PA Images via Getty Images) I have just picked up this announcement on Handball by a Premier League spokesperson.A Premier League spokesperson announced on their website what softening their approach on handball. […]

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Officially Speaking – with Keith Hackett

REVIEW OF WEEK 4 REFEREE INCIDENTS SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER 2020 The first three weeks certainly created a great deal of debate about the high number of controversial handball decisions.After numerous protests by stakeholders in the game and the media, the Premier League reported in the newspapers that referees will soften their approach.I do hope that […]

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Officially Speaking – with Keith Hackett

REVIEW OF PREMIER LEAGUE REFEREE PERFORMANCES WEEK THREE Saturday 26 September BRIGHTON V MANCHESTER UNITED RESULT 2- 3Referee: Chris KavanaghAssistants: Sian Massey-Ellis, Constantine HatzidakisFourth official: Graham ScottVAR: Simon HooperAssistant VAR: Neil Davies There is no doubt that the outcome of this game would be the major talking point of the weekend. I thought that Referee […]

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Officially Speaking – with Keith Hackett

MATCH WEEK ONE PREMIER LEAGUE REFEREE APPOINTMENTS SATURDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER 2020 FULHAM V ARSENAL   RESULT 0-3Referee: Chris KavanaghAssistants: Daniel Cook, Sian Massey-EllisFourth official: Kevin FriendVAR: David CooteAssistant VAR: Stephen Child Referee Kavanagh got his season off to an excellent start, keeping a low profile and making several accurate decisions.He applied a great advantage after a […]

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A Video with…Keith Hackett (Part Two)

Here is the second part of the interview with Keith Hackett, former FIFA referee who was listed in the Top 100 referees of all-time.In this interview we discuss Keith’s career as well as today’s game. Because Keith has so much to say due to his experience within the game, we will have another interview at […]

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My Top Ten Premier League Referees – by Keith Hackett

Referee Keith Hackett steps in as tempers flare between Manchester City’s Tommy Hutchison (l) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Garth Crooks (floor). (Photo by H. Routledge/PA Images via Getty Images) Frankly, I do not think that this disjointed season has been a vintage year for our referees. They have through their leadership made a complete dogsbody of […]

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