Former referee Keith Hackett has called on Howard Webb to come out of retirement in a bid to improve the standard of officiating . Webb , widely considered one of England 's best ever referees , retired in August 2014 to become the technical director of the Professional Games Match Officials Limited ( PGMOL ) . His first season out of the game has been littered with refereeing controversies , the most recent of which have come inside the last week . Howard Webb , who is widely regarded as one of England 's greatest ever referees , retired in August 2014 . Burnley 's Ashley Barnes was not punished for a horror challenge on Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic . Martin Atkinson 's decision not to punish Burnley 's Ashley Barnes for a tackle on Chelsea 's Nemanja Matic attracted widespread criticism , while on Saturday Roger East sent off Sunderland 's Wes Brown for a foul John O'Shea committed against Manchester United . East claimed on Saturday , through a PGMOL statement , that he had considered Brown to be the guilty party , hence his dismissal . Hackett , who used to head up the PGMOL - a job now done by Mike Riley - wants Webb , 43 , to return . Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live , he said : 'Referees are making big mistakes , week in , week out . They need some leadership and with that leadership the guy who is at the top needs to front up . 'He should be encouraging Howard Webb to come back into the game as a referee . I do n't know what Howard is doing behind the scenes with the referees . ' Hackett has not been shy in criticising standards over recent weeks and says officials are giving away cards 'like confetti ' . John O'Shea fouled Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao in the box , but Wes Brown was sent off instead . The Sunderland players crowded round referee Roger East but the incorrect decision was allowed to stand . On the East decision , he said : ' I think it was another error in refereeing that we 've seen , we 're seeing it pretty often . ' I do n't know if the referee was trying to be too clever or naive . He 's guessed , incorrectly , dismissed the player which is a real cardinal sin . 'Sending a player off is belittling at any stage of play . I worked hard to reduce the number of yellow cards and red cards when I was the position of the general manager of PGMOL . These guys seem to be pushing them around like confetti and in their eagerness and forgetting that their job is to get decisions correct . ' The East incident came on the very day that the International Football Association Board delayed trials of further use of video technology . The Dutch FA wanted to conduct live trials in the Dutch Cup next season , but were delayed by at least 12 months . The Football Association is also keen for further technology to be trialled , but chairman Greg Dyke told 5 Live he understood the problems referees were facing . ' I saw it ( the East incident ) briefly , mistakes happen , but what this shows is that referees make mistakes , ' he said . 'If you could help that referee with video technology , then you should . There are still mistakes , they get highlighted , that 's life . ' Webb has been backed to come out of his retirement in order to improve the standard of refereeing .
Former coach Keith ward has called Howard Webb to return to football . Webb retired in 2005 as one of the club 's most respected officials . Officiating standards are believed to have declined in recent seasons . Roger East wrongly kicked off Sunderland 's Wes Brown on penalties .