Keith Hackett, the former top level referee, has voiced his concerns over the Premier League’s officiating standards.
He expressed a particular grievance with the performance of VAR in the Arsenal-Newcastle match, whilst sympathising with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s frustrations.
In a thorough assessment for The Telegraph, Keith Hackett, former top-level referee, scrutinised the state of Premier League refereeing.
While he said that Mikel Arteta’s criticism of officials as “embarrassing” and “disgraceful” after Arsenal’s loss to Newcastle was excessive, he offered a measure of understanding towards the Arsenal manager’s ire.
“There is no doubt that Mikel Arteta overstepped the mark by labelling the officiating “embarrassing” and “disgraceful” following Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle but I sympathise with him,” Hackett wrote. “For too long refereeing standards in the Premier League have been inadequate – the rest of the world are laughing at us.”
The game in question is, of course, Newcastle v Arsenal which saw Stuart Attwell embroiled in controversy, lacking the necessary support from VAR official Andy Madley, particularly concerning Anthony Gordon’s goal for Newcastle.
Hackett suggested that the match’s officiating suffered due to VAR’s failure to assist Attwell adequately.
Notably, Anthony Gordon’s contentious goal was allowed to stand despite a triple VAR review, raising questions about the efficacy of the technology in its current form.
“The decision to allow it to stand was a clear case of VAR not performing to the standard it should be and failing to advise Attwell on numerous occasions,” Hackett said.
Hackett lamented the absence of definitive angles during VAR checks, referencing a World Cup incident where multiple perspectives were used to confirm a goal.
“Previously when it is not clear whether the ball is in or out of play, I have seen a number of angles to prove otherwise, for example when Japan scored against Germany in the World Cup.
“What a pity it is that goal-line technology could not be used to conclusively determine whether the whole ball was out of play when Joe Willock retrieved it by the corner flag. The assistant referee in my day would have moved to a position behind the corner flag to view the whole line and made that call, but unfortunately the introduction of Var has offset that sort of responsibility.”
The push by Newcastle’s Joelinton on Arsenal’s Gabriel, leading to Newcastle’s goal, was another instance where VAR did not intervene to correct what appeared to be a clear foul.
“The second part of the VAR review, the push by Joelinton on Gabriel, should have ruled the goal out,” Hackett said. “The Newcastle midfielder has his arms outstretched and straightened which alludes to a clear and obvious shove, so it should have been checked.”
Further scrutiny was directed at an Arsenal incident, where Kai Havertz’s challenge on Sean Longstaff could have warranted a harsher consequence than the yellow card issued by Attwell.
Hackett also pointed out another case involving a ‘push’ by Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes on Jorginho, which, in his opinion, deserved a closer examination.
“Then the pushing of Jorginho by Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, off the ball, should also should have been looked at,” Hackett pointed out. “Replays showed the Brazilian had intent when throwing his arm towards the Arsenal player and that was enough evidence to at least refer Attwell to the monitor for a second look.”
In his concluding remarks, Hackett underlined the broader implications of substandard officiating, stressing that managers like Arteta are looking for decisive actions rather than apologies.
He questioned how often Webb might need to apologise and what the fallout could be for the pool of referees if suspensions became a common consequence of these shortcomings.
While conceding that Arteta was justified in expressing his grievances, Hackett suggested that the Arsenal manager could have approached the situation differently, by seeking clarifications from the officials immediately post-match or engaging with Webb in a private dialogue.
Hackett’s blunt evaluation of Premier League refereeing today points to an urgent need for better support systems, enhanced communication, and more effective technology utilisation to prevent the further undermining of the sport’s integrity.