Former referees’ chief Keith Hackett has strongly criticized referee Michael Oliver and suggested he should be removed from officiating. Hackett argues that English officials are becoming a subject of ridicule in Europe.
Hackett also advocated for limiting VAR reviews to a maximum of 120 seconds, referencing the lengthy 8 minutes and 11 seconds it took to disallow a Milos Kerkez goal for offside during an FA Cup match between Bournemouth and Wolves.
Oliver faced criticism from Crystal Palace chief Steve Parish for not even calling a foul when Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts dangerously kicked Jean-Philippe Mateta in the head, resulting in the Crystal Palace striker being hospitalized.
VAR intervention by Nick Hopton was needed in the FA Cup fifth-round game on Saturday to convince Oliver to send Roberts off with a red card.
This incident happened on the same day that the new Semi-Automated Offside Technology malfunctioned at Vitality Stadium during its debut weekend in competitive matches.
Former PGMOL boss Hackett responded to these events with strong criticism aimed at his successor, Howard Webb, stating that English refereeing has become a joke in Europe and is continuing to decline.
Hackett questions whether the PGMOL is capable of ensuring high-quality officiating.
He criticized the fact that a challenge sending a player to the hospital was initially missed by the referee, and the offside call took eight minutes. He sarcastically suggested that this delay is excessively long.
Parish expressed his anger, accusing Roberts of endangering Mateta’s life with what he described as the most reckless challenge he had ever witnessed.
Mateta received 25 stitches for a severe ear laceration and underwent head scans in the hospital before being discharged.
Oliver, 40, was previously criticized for mistakenly issuing a straight red card to Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly in January, which was later overturned.
Hackett believes Oliver needs to take a break from officiating for at least a couple of weeks.
He described Oliver’s officiating in the recent match as terrible, stating that the referee was absent in making the crucial decision and the red card should have been immediately given.
During the incident at Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth and Wolves fans chanted against VAR and expressed their frustration that football no longer felt like football.
Hackett also commented on social media, calling the situation a potential turning point.
He questioned why the Premier League and PGMOL did not acquire a tried and tested SAOS system and why they chose to use the current system at this stage of the FA Cup.
Hackett insists on setting a time limit of two minutes maximum for VAR reviews, after which the original on-field decision should stand.
Hackett, 80, also jokingly suggested that if referees are going to rely on VAR for decision-making, they might as well use Tarot cards or bingo balls to make calls.
Hackett has previously accused the PGMOL of being run by amateurs and called for VAR to be abolished due to its ineffectiveness.
