Few stand up to Sir Alex Ferguson and escape unscathed. Crossing swords with Sam Allardyce can be scary, too. Only the exceptionally brave or extremely foolhardy take on two of the biggest personalities the game can offer.

Keith Hackett did on a monthly, sometimes weekly, basis. As the general manager of Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), the referees� governing body, fronting Fergie and battling Big Sam was an occupational hazard.

Yet Hackett has survived to tell the tales. Perhaps a bit bruised after six years of fighting fires on behalf of his colleagues, but with his reputation untarnished and his sanity intact.

�Did I get on with Fergie? Absolutely,� Hackett said. �I got a letter from him after my career as a referee had finished and it was very praiseworthy, a very nice surprise. I�ve still got it somewhere.

�Sir Alex is a fantastically successful manager and I�ve always listened to what he has to say. I�ve responded when needed and, sometimes, with an acceptance that a referee has got it wrong. But I�ve always tried to qualify that by explaining why he has got it wrong. At the same time, I�ve also stood my ground when I�ve felt that Alex was wrong.�

Hackett stood his ground in October, when Ferguson boiled over after Manchester United�s 2-2 Barclays Premier League draw with Sunderland and accused Alan Wiley, the referee, of being unfit. �He was miles adrift on that one,� Hackett said. �That was unusual. But football is awash with a blame culture, isn�t it? Let�s blame everyone apart from ourselves. I�m just not into that at all.�

PGMOL and Hackett are into ProZone, which is widely used by clubs to track their players� efforts � or lack of � and which overwhelmingly disproved Ferguson�s theory on Wiley. It was Allardyce who recommended its merits to Hackett and his team.

�Sam is often critical of referees but, in fairness, he�s done refereeing a lot of good,� Hackett said. �He introduced me to ProZone and sports psychology as well. I said to him, �I�m going to operate as the 21st manager in the Premier League but without the money� and he smiled.

�When you see how deep Sam goes into his analysis, I came away thinking, �I just saw him as a guy who is barking at the end of his technical area at the match officials.� My view changed and, over the years, that�s often been the case.�

Hackett, 65, has changed roles. He has handed over his day-to-day duties to Mike Riley, the former elite referee, and is to become a referee ambassador for the Premier League, spreading the gospel across the globe.

Regardless of the regular rants of Ferguson, Allardyce et al, English refereeing is still held in the highest esteem around the world. This month PGMOL hosted a week-long course at the University of Warwick for referees from Australia, Qatar, China and Jordan; at present Hackett is in New Zealand giving a series of lectures to match officials, players and managers.

�We do a lot of work away from the Premier League matches,� Hackett said. �I don�t think people realise that. I�ve been heavily involved in liaising with other countries and developing working partnerships. People want to know about the gains from professional refereeing. What does it all mean? How do they get paid? I try to explain.

�My life is certainly a bit quieter now, especially Sundays and Mondays after the weekend games. I did smile the other week when I had a big-club manager on the phone saying, �I need to speak to you. Get your backside over here to sort this out.� I said, �Well, actually, you need this guy�s number. And his name�s Mike Riley.� �

Gone, clearly, but not forgotten. Should Ferguson have an issue over the referee�s handling of United�s meeting with West Ham United at Old Trafford this evening � a certain Alan Wiley is in charge � it is Riley who will get the hairdryer treatment.

�My view was always that if a manager had something to say, I�d listen to it,� Hackett said. �Then I�d say my piece. Before, perhaps there was more of a stand-off. Managers didn�t want to know, neither did the referees. They both thought it was a waste of time. There is dialogue now, but I�ve always felt there could be more.

�Quite often, I don�t think that managers really understand how much effort the referees put in and how disappointed they are when it all goes pear-shaped.

�Mike must continue a line of communication with the participants in the game and be prepared to move out of his chair to meet these people, to try to understand their passion. They want improved performances from referees and so do we. We all do.�

Webb backed to shine at World Cup finals

With an audience of billions watching every move from every angle, referees will come under intense scrutiny during the World Cup finals in South Africa this summer. Keith Hackett is confident that Howard Webb, England�s representative, will cope in the harshest of spotlights.

�Of course he will,� Hackett said. �Howard�s a fit guy and you�ve only got to look at his skill-set. He�s brilliant at managing conflict � when things are going around, when it�s all getting a bit fuzzy. It�s about keeping your calm, dealing with it and making the right decisions.

�The referees will have to deliver over there, massively, because it�s such a huge occasion and the amount of coverage is spectacular. Howard has effectively been preparing for this for years at Fifa training camps and in tournaments, all geared towards getting him and the other referees ready. He�ll do just fine, I�m sure of it.�

Hackett believes that Webb has benefited from refereeing in the top flight in England for seven seasons. �We�ve got a minimum of 26 cameras at every game and we�ve got the world looking on,� Hackett said. �In refereeing terms, there is probably no bigger challenge than going out in the middle in the Premier League week in, week out.

�The challenges are fantastic: mostly full stadiums, huge media interest and the different levels of volatility of some of the players. It is perfect preparation for going to a World Cup.�

Halsey�s courage an inspiration as return looms

A low point in Keith Hackett�s six-year stint with PGMOL came in August, when he took a phone call telling him that Mark Halsey, one of his senior referees, had cancer. Halsey�s wife, Michelle, has leukaemia.

Hackett was numbed. �Having just done the Everton v Arsenal game [on the opening day of the season] and done really well, I saw Mark as a cornerstone of our referees,� he said. �He could give me that gap to bring on the others. Then I took that call . . .

�Happily, he�s now been given the all clear. The remarkable thing about Mark is that when he�d been having chemotherapy he�d still turn up and train. How courageous is that?

�For me, he has been an absolutely inspirational figure and that can be measured by the messages of support he has received from players and managers. He got a text from Wayne Rooney and Jos� Mourinho also invited him to Italy to take in a game, to get a bit of sun.

�I was with Mark at Manchester City a while ago and when he walked into the stadium, everyone wanted to shake his hand. It�s as if he�s taken on an almost iconic role.�

Halsey is expecting to officiate at reserve-match level next month. �Mark has always been a good referee and man-manager,� Hackett said. �I�m delighted he�ll be back soon.�