Keith Hackett will reluctantly leave his powerful role as head of the Professional Game Match Officials in 2010 after the PGMO executive decided not to ask him to continue beyond his 65th birthday.
Instead the three-man board, which comprises Richard Scudamore, the chief executive of the Premier League, and a representative each from the Football Association and Football League, is advertising for Hackett's replacement on the PGMO website. It hopes to have his successor lined up by the start of this summer at the latest.
Hackett will be 65 in June 2010 and it is thought he would willingly continue as general manager of the PGMO, taking ultimate responsibility for the recruiting, appointing, training, developing and disciplining of all match officials involved in professional football in England.
The advertisement reads: "In preparation for the retirement of its current general manager, PGMO is seeking to recruit a successor to take up the post of general manager designate in the late spring/summer of 2009. The timing of the appointment will allow a managed transfer of responsibilities to the successful applicant."
Since replacing Philip Don in 2004 Hackett has often been the target of attacks from disgruntled managers – who have included Sam Allardyce and Sir Alex Ferguson– over crucial decisions made by officials during games.
Earlier this week Allardyce, Blackburn Rovers' manager, claimed Hackett was not doing enough to ensure officials operating in the top division offer adequate protection to players from over-aggressive tackling, when he discussed Rovers' Norwegian midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen.
"He [Pedersen] is one of many Premier League players who are guilty of diving but the bottom line is simple enough," Allardyce said. "Until Keith Hackett decides that fouls should still be given for players who manage to stay on their feet, then people will always cheat."
Ferguson's criticism, which came after Manchester United's defeat by Portsmouth in the fifth round of last season's FA Cup, was aimed at the performance of Martin Atkinson, including his failure to award a first-half penalty after Cristiano Ronaldo was fouled.
"Hackett has got a lot to answer for in this country," he said. "He's not doing his job properly. He should be assessed like everyone else is assessed. I'm assessed as a manager, the players are assessed, referees are assessed. Martin Atkinson will referee next week, no problem, but his performance today should not be accepted in our game."
Hackett has been a pivotal figure in the Respect campaign – launched at the beginning of the season by the FA with the aim of improving the behaviour of players and management – as it was launched in conjunction with the PGMO, as well as the Premier and Football Leagues.
Allardyce's outburst was followed by Hull City manager, Phil Brown, being fined £2,500 by the FA yesterday for his touchline run-in with Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear in January. These were just the latest two incidents in a catalogue which has added to an impression that Hackett has an impossible job improving relations between managers, their staff and referees.
But he is thought to be adopting the longer-term view that the Respect campaign will need time to affect a culture change, and is pleased at the leadership shown by various club captains during matches this year.
Hackett has also been keen to adopt an open-door policy during his tenure as PGMO head, actively encouraging dialogue and debate from those in the game into issues that fall under his jurisdiction.
