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For any of the following articles and pieces previously see on this page just click here Pieces include:- · Blame ranters not referee · Steve Coppell speaks out · Fa Chairman fights back · Respect may be making a comeback Henry Winter writes in The Daily Telegraph about the FA pilot scheme of only captains being allowed to speak to the referee · A good place to referee · A Referee to blame? · Poll Returns to Grassroots Football Former top referee Graham Poll goes back to his roots to referee a Sunday morning game
And for any of the following click here
· You think you can do better than the ref? So did I · PFA Chief says: Abuse of referees must stop · Schoolboy gives Ferdinand lesson in good behaviour |
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Questions and answers from our representative at Euro’s 08 Howard Webb
Howard Webb began refereeing in his native Yorkshire in 1989 and, after serving his apprenticeship as an assistant referee, he finally made it to the promised land of the Premier League in October 2003, when he took charge of Fulham versus Wolves at Craven Cottage. Less than two years later he officiated his first international, a friendly between Northern Ireland and Portugal in Belfast. If Webb is chosen to referee the final of Euro 2008, he will become the first English official to oversee a major final since Jack Taylor in the 1974 World Cup.
Congratulations, how did it feel to be chosen as England’s referee representative at Euro 2008? Naturally I'm delighted to have been selected as one of the 12 referees at Euro 2008; it's always a great honour to represent your country.
Was it always your ambition to referee in a major tournament? To be honest, when I started I had no idea of the opportunities available within refereeing, but as you progress through the ranks you begin setting more ambitious targets, and officiating at a major tournament was definitely one of the goals I set myself as I moved up,
Have you been gloating to all the other Premier League refs as this means you are officially the best Lots of different factors determine which referees are selected from each country so my selection for the finals doesn't mean I am officially the best referee in England - we've got a good group of referees operating on the Premier League, and the support I've received has been tremendous.
Would you rather not be officiating and have England there instead? I was really disappointed that England didn't qualify - but even if they had, the selection of the referees would have been the same. It would just have meant there would have been certain games I couldn't have officiated,
You’ll be assisted by two other Englishmen, so how do you prepare as a unit? I have an excellent team going to Austria and Switzerland with me in Darren Cann and Mike Mullarkey. We pride ourselves on our teamwork, in fact we have worked together so often that we’re almost telepathic! We've already had a preparatory meeting together with all the other officials in Switzerland. That was in April, but I think we'll be leaving any visits to the pub until after the tournament's finished!
How do you prepare for international matches? Are they different to the Prem? Strong body language is crucial when you're refereeing international football- it's essential to ensure that your intentions are clear. We deal with overseas players all the time in the English Premier League now so it's nothing new.
When will you find out what game(s) you will be refereeing? We arrive in Switzerland for the tournament a few days before the opening match and will be given our first appointment during that time. I'm not setting myself any specific goals other than to referee well in my first game and hopefully that will then lead on to a second,
Of course, there’s also a danger that you could end up ‘doing a Graham Poll’…. All referees want to avoid controversy and I'm always happy when nobody is talking about my colleagues and me, We have to keep focused 100 percent throughout the full match to try to avoid making mistakes or controversial decisions that we all know will be jumped upon by the media.
Poll said that referees were advised to ‘look out’ for certain players doing certain things at the World Cup – is there a danger this could prejudice referees’ outlook from the off?
It's important that referees don't pre-judge. A player with a reputation for simulation is, of course, capable of being fouled in the penalty area in the same way as any other player but it's good to have increased awareness on the field of play and to prepare thoroughly.
What’s your biggest international or Champions League game been to date? My first international was Northern Ireland vs Portugal at Windsor Park in 2005 and since then I have refereed several qualification games forthe Euro 2008 finals including matches involving the likes of Germany, France and Italy.
Do players behave more fearfully of you when they find out you’re a police sergeant? Have you ever threatened to ‘book’ a player in more ways than one? Nice thought, but I am currently on a career break from the police for a few years to concentrate on my refereeing, so I had to hand my handcuffs and warrant card back! |
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Meet the 11other men who, along with Howard Webb,will be the ones in charge during the Euro 2008 Championship this summer.
Konrad Plautz Professional referee A director and actor for a local theatre group, Plautz started refereeing matches in his teens, preferring it to turning out at right-back for his amateur side. Likely to be the co-hosts' top performer this summer.
Frank De Bleeckere PR Manager The man who sent off Marco Materazzi for two very soft yellow cards in Liverpool's Champions League game against Inter was in charge when a mass brawl, on and off the pitch, broke out between Turkey and Switzerland. He's highly unlikely to be given that clash again.
Herbert Fandel Pianist, director of music school Best remembered for being attacked by a crazed Danish fan while officiating the Denmark versus Sweden Euro 2008 qualifier, which lead to the match being awarded to Sweden. Refereeing the 2007 Champions League final between Milan and Liverpool was a tad easier.
Kyros Vassaras Travel agent
This budding traveller took charge of his first international match when Austria played San Marino in 1999. Was involved in a freak Champions League match last year when nine-man Inter beat PSV 2-0.
Roberto Rosetti Hospital manager An imposing fiqure at 6ft 3ins, Rosetti only made it to Germany 2006 after first choice Massimo De Santis was implicated in the Serie A matchfixing scandal and removed by the Italian Football Federation
Pieter Vink Ex-policeman now professional referee Before this ex-bobby failed to uphold the law by denying Alexander Hleb a nailed-on penalty in Arsenals Champions League quarter-final first leg against Liverpool, he officiated the first ever match at the new Wembley Stadium.
Tom Henning Ovrebo Professional referee Voted Norwegian Referee of the Year five times in six years, from 2001 to 2006. He once sent Kolo Toure off at Highbury and this year flourished nine cards in Liverpool’s European tie at Inter
Massimo Busacca Managing director This linguist, who was in charge for England's 2-2 draw with Sweden in 2006, speaks Italian, English, French, German and Spanish. He took charge of last year's UEFA Cup final, sending off Espanyols Moises Hurtado.
Lubos Michel Manager Incurred the wrath of Martin O'Neill during the 2003 UEFA Cup Final where he sent off Bobo Balde, and irked Jose Mourinho after judging that Luis Garcia's shot had crossed the line during Liverpool’s Champions League defeat of Chelsea in 2005. The former teacher speaks five languages.
Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez Civil servant The man who, according to Alex McLeish, was the reason Scotland failed to qualify after he awarded Italy a dubious last-minute free-kick in their final group game, from which the Italians scored. Also took charge of the Liverpool-AC Milan Champions League final in Istanbul.
Peter Frojdfeldt Professional referee Italy will be hoping to avoid the Swede after he dished out two red cards to Juventus during their Champions League quarter-final match against Arsenal at Highbury in 2006 |
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Graham Poll Talks with FA cup final referee Mike Dean
(The Daily Mail)
Can you imagine the joy of being told you are going to referee the FA Cup Final - and then the agony of having it taken away from you? The FA only give the final to a referee once and when I was awarded the last one at the old Wembley, in 2000, it was the biggest day of my career. But this year's man in the middle, Mike Dean, suffered the anguish of being taken off the 2006 final between Liverpool and West Ham because he lives near Merseyside. So when I caught up with him recently I asked how he had coped with that nightmare.
DEAN: I was cutting the grass at home when Neale Barry (head of senior referee development) phoned. He said he had news for me. It was a horrible, horrible feeling. There had been rumours that they'd take me off the game if Liverpool made it. I've no affiliation to Liverpool or Everton. I put the phone down and sat down in a chair and burst out crying. My wife Karam burst into tears as well. Then we had to tell the kids. I didn't watch the game and I've refused to watch the Cup Final since.
POLL: The FA had broken with tradition by naming the referee before the semi-finals. It was ridiculous. It will never happen again but as soon as they felt able to give it to you again, they did. You've earned it.
DEAN: Neale called me this time and his first words were: 'This isn't a hoax call.' I was crying again but they were tears of joy.
POLL: Didn't you call him back after his bombshell two years ago?
DEAN: I called him to see if he was OK. Remember that he doesn't make the decisions alone but has to deliver the news - good and bad.
POLL: I'd have gone mad!
DEAN: The good thing is that I'm a better referee now. I was coming out of games with eight or nine cards. So I examined things, right down to where I kept my cards. A tackle went in and my hand was straight in the pocket. Since then, I've learned to give myself more thinking time.
POLL: You're not afraid of the big decision, though. You've shown 10 red cards this season and I'd say there's only a question-mark over Chelsea's John Mikel Obi at Old Trafford.
DEAN: My gut feeling at the time was yellow card, but I heard my assistant in my earpiece say: 'It's two feet, it's a red card.' I don't know why he didn't back it up with a flag. I've spoken to him since and he doesn't know. Without a flag, it would have been a cop-out to go and talk to him; that looks like I'm passing the blame. |