August 7 – England’s leading referee Howard Webb, who took charge of the 2010 World Cup final, has ended his 25-year career on the pitch – and will now scrutinise the performances of his colleagues instead.
Webb, who was on the FIFA list of officials from 2005 onwards, was involved in no fewer than nine major international tournaments, including the Group C World Cup match in Brazil between Colombia and Ivory Coast and then the first-round knockout match between the host nation and Chile when he controversially but bravely disallowed a Hulk goal for handball.
Webb, who made his fair share of mistakes but drew praise for his authoritative approach to the game from pundits, players and managers, has been appointed technical director of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), and will be responsible for overseeing the direction and standards which govern match officials in England.
After the foul-ridden 2010 World Cup final between Spain and Holland during which Webb dished out a record 14 yellow cards – including two to the same player – he was supported by FIFA president Sepp Blatter who accused the players, particularly the Dutch, of lacking discipline and respect.
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