Hackett’s Oliver Criticism Back in Focus After Fresh VAR Drama Over Mateta Red Card
Keith Hackett’s earlier criticism of referee Michael Oliver has regained relevance after another VAR-assisted decision involving Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta in Saturday’s game against Tottenham. The former head of Professional Game Match Officials Limited had previously questioned Oliver after the referee needed VAR help to send off a player in Palace’s FA Cup tie with Millwall in March 2025. With Oliver at the centre of another contentious Mateta decision, the debate over consistency and officiating standards has returned.
The latest incident came at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Mateta was sent off early on for a dangerous challenge on Micky van de Ven. Around the 12th minute, he arrived late in a sliding challenge alongside Van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke and caught the defender around the Achilles with his studs. Oliver, who was close to the action, first judged a yellow card to be enough, which drew immediate attention given how dangerous the contact was. VAR then advised him to check the pitchside monitor, and after viewing the footage he reversed his decision and showed a straight red. Van de Ven avoided serious injury, but the incident raised questions over why the first punishment was so light and whether Oliver should have spotted the severity without video help.
It was not the first time Oliver has faced such questions involving Mateta. In the March 2025 Millwall tie, goalkeeper Liam Roberts rushed out of his area and caught Mateta on the head with his studs. Oliver did not initially send him off, but VAR recommended a review and he then changed his decision and dismissed Roberts. Hackett reacted furiously, telling Football Insider that the challenge was appalling and questioning why an experienced referee needed VAR to reach what he saw as an obvious red-card decision. His view carried weight because of his own background at the top of refereeing.
The latest episode has put VAR and Premier League officiating standards back under the microscope. Video technology was brought in to fix clear and obvious errors, but there are growing questions over how much responsibility should stay with the referee on the pitch. Oliver’s first yellow suggests he did not see the tackle as a sending-off, though there is a difference between a reasonable call from a limited angle and failing to spot a dangerous challenge. Under the Laws of the Game, serious foul play means excessive force or endangering an opponent, and studs to the Achilles can easily meet that threshold, so the final red card looks well justified even if the first decision was different.
For Palace, the sending-off was a major blow so early on. Mateta was making a rare Premier League start after an injury-hit beginning to the season, and his dismissal forced Pierre Sage to rethink his attacking plans with over 75 minutes left. Tottenham made the most of it, with Archie Gray heading in a Mohammed Kudus corner in the 24th minute to give Roberto De Zerbi’s side the lead. Palace had also arrived in north London on the back of poor results against Brighton and Newcastle.
For Oliver, the decision again puts his officiating in the spotlight. Hackett’s earlier comments provide a historical link, although no fresh public verdict from him on Saturday’s red card has been confirmed. In the end, the sending-off will be hard to argue with under the Laws, but the yellow-then-red sequence has handed the refereeing debate another talking point.
