REFEREES’ chief Keith Hackett has phoned Roy Keane to apologise for the clangers which have jeopardised Sunderland’s Premier League status.

The Black Cats would already be mathematically safe but for a series of refereeing cock-ups which have cost them vital points.

Hackett felt obliged to contact Keane this week following Mike Riley’s controversial decision to award Manchester City a penalty at the Stadium of Light last week – when video replays showed that Nyron Nosworthy did not touch Daniel Sturridge.

City went on to win 2-1 – which sees Sunderland just seven points above the drop zone with some tricky games still to play.

Games against relegation-strugglers Bolton at the Reebok and at home to Arsenal on the last day of the season could still prove vital.

Keane said: “I do not know where Keith got my mobile number but he rang up to apologise.

“It is of little or no consolation to us and will not make much difference to our supporters, but we had a good chat.

“His exact words to me were that neither he, nor the assessor, could get their heads around why the referee would give the penalty.

“His positioning was good and they told me the player should have been booked and a free-kick awarded to us.”

Keane claims that if good and bad decisions even themselves out over a season, Sunderland can expect five penalties in Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby.

This year some of the decisions have been crazy. Disallowed goals that were fine, penalties given that should never have been etc.

I think refs could be excused for their mistakes against us this year if we get a few decisions go for us in the derby... Yep i'd definately take that!

Doesn't look like we're going down now, but if we did happen to go down by 1 or 2 points even up to 5 or 6 to be honest then it would be unfairly. Look at the points we have lost:

Aston Villa Home 2
Derby Away 2
Man city Home 1
Reading Away 1

AT LEAST. Can't remember any others off the top of my head but that's a good few dodgy decisions.

Totally agree!!! And how sweet to ring and apologise... NOT!

Pack in with the phone calls and have a word with your crappy refs man!!! Start with Mike Riley. That man could single handedly be responsible for us finishing lower in the table than we should. IDIOT!!!

Sack Riley, sack the linesmen for not putting him right, sack the board for letting him keep his job.

Nice to see someone else noticing the UNFAIR decisions.

And like Keane said we're owed five penalties against the mags.

Refs an linesmen have got a lot to answer for look at the 'goal' for QPR against us...there was NO WAY he was in a position to see if it had gone over the line or not therefore creating reasonable doubt so it should not have been given!!! Tecnology revealed later it DID NOT CROSS THE LINE and should not have counted....that 'goal' could be the difference between us going up automatically of having to go to playoffs. I agree that Mike Riley should be sacked he is less that useless!!! When he refereed one of our games he sent 4 players off only he knows why that earned Jay Jay Okocha and Caleb Folan 3 match bans. I was only talking to someone about the difference decisions made during games sometimes it's the difference between going up or going down. Some of them think they are God and can play with results. They need to know they are purely there to see the rules of the game are adhered to and the safety of the players is managed nothing more.

One man springs to mind mr uriah rennie!!!

We always win when Mr Rennie is in charge

i think when refs so many bad decisions in a game they should get punished for it by fa or something so they should think about what there doing more, but then that will make there decisions alot harder because they will then be worried about given penaltys and so on so lose lose situation really unless the refs good