FORMER REF CALLS FOR HEADS TO ROLL OVER BOTCHED INTRODUCTION OF VAR

Keith Hackett - "service is not up to scratch"

A FORMER top-flight referee has called for the sacking of Mike Riley - the man in charge of Premier League officials.

Keith Hackett, now a consultant, has urged firm action in today's edition of The Daily Telegraph for which he writes a regular column.

Highly critical of how the introduction of VAR has been handled in the domestic game, he writes: "If a service is not up to scratch, heads must roll.

"Mike Riley (general manage of the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd) should be sacked.

"On his watch the standard has slipped disastrously, and the way he has handled the introduction of VAR is a joke."

Mr Hackett continues: "If we think the Premier League is the best in the world, we should appoint the best official in the world - Italy's Pierluigi Collina."

In his article, Mr Hackett makes several other points - not least that fans are being left confused and frustrated by not knowing how the VAR process is operating at key moments in a match.