An interview with…Keith Hackett (former FIFA-listed referee)
Keith refereeing a game at Old Trafford in the early days of the Premier League
Thank you Keith for taking the time to answer a few questions for this blog. Most young boys want to be a footballer when they were a child but what made you want to become a referee?
I started playing for a local team and the County Football Association wanted to send one of the team to a special meeting to discuss team discipline.
It was agreed following my participation that I would attend six evening workshop sessions to learn the laws and pass a referees test.
What was the first game that you refereed?
Sheffield United Juniors versus Hillsborough Boys Club.
I had no intention of becoming a referee, but on a Saturday when we weren’t playing I was invited to referee the game.
I borrowed the referees kit and purchased a stopwatch and whistle. I then stepped out onto a school field and officiated my first game!
The game went well and afterwards both team secretaries suggested that I should give up playing and start to referee on a regular basis. I took that advice and find myself still involved in the game!
How long did it take you to get to the Football League? Was it long until you were promoted to First Division football?
After 12 years of officiating at grassroots level I was promoted to the Football League Linesman’s List and in 1975 I was promoted to the Football League Referees Panel. My first game was Stockport County versus Northampton Town. In that season I refereed my first Division One game which was Liverpool versus Wolverhampton Wanderers.
You ran the line in the 1979 FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Manchester United and two years later you were the referee for both the FA Cup Final and the Replay. Were these the highlights of your career?
I have been lucky to have many best moments in my career. I was in charge of the Semi Final of the Olympic Games in 1988 between Brazil and West Germany and also the opening game of the 1988 European Championships between Italy and West Germany.
One European game that stands out is Gdansk of Poland vs Juventus back in 1983. This was several years before the unification of Europe.
Keith in charge of the West Germany versus Italy tie in Euro 1988
The one match however that stands out is the FA Cup Semi Final in 1980 between Arsenal and Liverpool and I was selected to referee the match. Hillsborough was chosen as the venue for the game. I am a Sheffield Wednesday fan and to referee at Hillsborough was an ambition. I used to walk the two miles to the ground with my Dad on matchdays from our home. My Dad had died before that semi final and the house that I used to live in had also been demolished.
I decided that I would drive to where I used to live and walk to the ground on the day of the match. When I was asked by the FA how much I was owed, my answer was “NOWT!”. I was so proud to have refereed on the ground where I had watched countless games.
Ricky Villa scored a fantastic solo goal in the 1981 FA Cup Final replay and it is still replayed over and over to this day. Was that the best goal in a game that you have officiated?
During the first game Ricky Villa played poorly and was substituted. I can remember him walking around the perimeter of the field in order to reach the dressing rooms.
Then on the Thursday I witnessed him scoring an iconic goal that is played regularly on television.
Ricky Villa takes on the Manchester City on the way to scoring in the
1981 FA Cup Final Replay with Keith watching on in the background
I read that in 1984 you were offered a bribe by Anderlecht for a UEFA Cup tie but you sensibly turned it down. How did this come about and what happened?
I was due to referee the game between Anderlecht and Spartak Moscow when I was approached. No club was mentioned but I reported the matter to UEFA. A few weeks later I was interviewed by a German Jud UEFA Official.
Were you ever close to being selected to referee in any World Cup tournaments?
Yes. I was shortlisted but had been suffering with an Achilles tendon injury. I decided to take a few weeks off for it to heal but sadly despite returning to officiating, I was told that I would not be selected.
You were the referee when Arsenal and Manchester United famously had a 21 man brawl in 1990. Do you think that it was fair punishment for the FA to dock both clubs points (Arsenal two points and Manchester United one)?
The game had not presented any problems until a foul challenge sparked off a 21 man brawl. I was blowing my whistle to put a stop to the blowout by the players. I decided that to send a couple of players would be insufficient. I therefore took the time to issue a special incident report to the FA.
Keith stuck in the middle of the 21-man brawl between Manchester United
and Arsenal at Old Trafford in the 90/91 season
What were your favourite grounds to officiate at?
Anfield, Old Trafford, Highbury, Bernabeu and the San Siro
Who were the best players that you have refereed in terms of skill and ability?
Kenny Dalglish, George Best, Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Glenn Hoddle, Dennis Bergkamp, Liam Brady and Chris Waddle. In that order!
What do you make of the today’s modern game? Do you think that you would enjoy refereeing a match nowadays?
I love the modern game and the speed at which it is played. I would love to referee in this era but demands on referees have increased with television coverage. My games were covered by 3 cameras but today’s referees are under the glare of at least 22 different cameras.
It was for that reason that I placed submissions to the governing bodies to introduce professional referees. I also put it forward to the Premier League for the need for goal-line technology.
Do you think that you would have benefited from VAR when you were a referee?
I am a huge supporter of VAR. However I do not like the way it is being operated in this country. Not using the pitch-side monitors to review decisions is a massive error in my view.
The law on offside needs to be amended so that it operates more professionally than at the moment.
How hard was it to retire from the game after 23 years? What have you done in the time since your retirement?
I was happy to retire and found activities to fill the gap. I worked with the artist Paul Trevillion and launched five ‘You Are The Ref’ books.
The ‘You Are The Ref’ strips appeared in Shoot! Magazine and The Guardian newspaper.
I also introduced the Premier Skills Refereeing programme. We took people out of African townships and introduce them to refereeing. One of these men from Cameroon officiated at the African Nations Final and also in the World Cup!
When you retired you became General Manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Board. What did that involve?
My role at the PGMOL was to create a cadre of World Class Match Officials. I believe that I achieved this with the likes of Graham Poll, Howard Webb, Mark Clattenburg, Paul Durkin and Graham Barber.
You are now Club President at Penistone Church Football Club. Where are they in the non-league pyramid? How are they doing in their league?
We have twenty two teams and are a real community club. The first team is close to the top of the North East Counties League.
Finally, what advice would you give to a young, aspiring referee?
You need to have dedication, a degree of selfishness and always forensically review your performances. Seek advice always.
Many thanks to Keith Hackett for his time to answer these questions and hopefully help me with this blog.
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