Keith Hackett slams PL for handing new job to referee Lee Mason
We’re delighted to welcome former Premier League referee Keith Hackett as our exclusive West Ham United columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium.
Keith Hackett has criticised the Premier League’s decision to hand Lee Mason a new job after the referee got a key decision wrong when West Ham played Fulham.
Mason will become the first dedicated VAR official from the start of next season [The Athletic], despite making a number of mistakes in that role this season and even being dropped for a round of fixtures [Daily Mail].
It was Mason who was responsible for Tomas Soucek’s red card at Fulham, as he suggested to Mike Dean that the midfielder had struck Aleksandar Mitrovic with his arm.
The red was later overturned, as was Jan Bednarek’s dismissal at Old Trafford a week prior, which was also the result of a Mason VAR call.
Hackett is astonished the referee has been given the new VAR job, and he believes it is representative of the sorry state of English refereeing.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, the former Premier League referee said, “Two weeks on the bounce he issued instructions for red cads and both of those got overturned.
“A wonderful VAR in the marking.
“It’s laughable, it really is, I think English refereeing is in a pretty awful place.
“Lee Mason does not make the top ten [of English referees].”
Is this a joke?
The standard of refereeing in England is in desperate need of improvement and the Premier League have shot themselves in the foot with this decision.
VAR is bad enough as it is but giving someone like Mason a dedicated role just boggles the mind.
The decision to send Soucek off at Craven Cottage was absolutely crazy and shows Mason is no longer suited to making big calls at the highest level anymore.
He and Mike Dean should both be assessed properly at the end of the current campaign as both have dropped some absolute clangers this season.
The Premier League should test the pair to make sure they meet the standards – however low they may be.
We will just have to hope that Mason does not officiate any of our matches next year, or Dean for that matter.
In other West Ham news, ‘Perfection’ – BBC pair rave about ‘Terrific’ West Ham star after display v West Brom.