Keith Hackett

Tue 7 June 2022 7:00, UK

Liverpool may be set for a major referee change if Mike Riley leaves his role as head of the PGMOL, according to Keith Hackett.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee and head of the PGMOL claim a “root and branch review” should be launched after a number of “huge” errors.

The Telegraph reported last week (1 June) that a number of Premier League clubs want Riley, 57, out.

A league meeting is scheduled for later this month with refereeing and the application of VAR high on the agenda.

“This should be the beginning of the end and in reality, it should have happened a few years ago,” Hackett told Football Insider‘s Connor Whitley.

“During his tenure in office, in my opinion, and in many others, the standard of officiating has gone backwards.

“He’s faced with the dilemma of not applying the appropriate accountability and a lack of communication to the stakeholders in the game as to what is happening. What is happening to these referees who are making huge errors?

“They are human beings and they will make errors. But in reality, you can’t just cast them aside and do nothing.

“What we’ve seen is referees making a major error on the Saturday and then receiving an appointment two days later or even the following day operating VAR.

“It impacts the frustration of fans and people like myself.

“When a referee makes an error, he doesn’t make it on purpose, there’s a reason behind that error. That must be discussed in the ongoing training and advice a referee receives in order to avoid a replication of any error.

“For me, I generally believe it needs a root and branch review. It probably needs in its business plan, a reconstruction and clear objective.

“My objective was to create a cadre of world-class referees. We achieved that to some degree but that’s not been followed through.”

In other news, Kieran Maguire has revealed Liverpool are to dodge Uefa ‘snipers’ as a £1billion deal is announced.