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Howard Webb refereed for the last time at the World
Cup in Brazil
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England's top referee Howard Webb has announced his
retirement to become technical director of the body that oversees professional
officials, Press Association reports.
Webb, 43, who refereed the 2010 World Cup final and
at the recent World Cup in Brazil, hangs up his whistle after 25 years. He has been appointed technical director of
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the Premier League
announced.
Webb said: "I am very excited to start this new
chapter in my career after a wonderfully rewarding 25 years on the pitch. I
have spent over a decade with the best seat in the house for Barclays Premier
League matches, been lucky enough to be involved in nine major international
tournaments, and taken charge of the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup
finals.
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Webb Refereeing Euro 2012 draw
against Group C between Croatia and Italy
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"Refereeing has given me so much and I think it's
important that match officials who have had the rewards remain in the game to
pass on their knowledge.
"I also have much more to learn about the
business of refereeing and I believe the best place for me to do that is with
PGMOL. It's an incredibly positive working environment and we all have a common
goal of improving refereeing.
"Over the last five years in particular we have
made huge strides in terms of our accuracy, fitness and professionalism.
"The current Select Group are the best referees
this country has ever produced and I am thrilled that I not only get the chance
to continue working with them but also the opportunity to help develop the next
generation of Select Group officials."
Webb's career reached a peak in 2010 when he became
the first person to referee the Champions League final and the World Cup final
in the same year.
He also refereed at Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, and was
widely-praised for his performances at the World Cup in Brazil.
The Premier League said his new position would include
a "public-facing role informing and educating on refereeing matters".
PGMOL general manager Mike Riley said: "Howard
has been the foremost referee of his generation and an inspiration for match
officials in this country and around the world.
"We are very excited that Howard's knowledge and
skills are being retained and shared for them and the rest of PGMOL's
officials.
"Last season we trebled the funding for referee
coaching and training and we will continue to invest in match officials from
the Premier League down to the contributory leagues.
"We want to accelerate the development of
referees from the semi-professional game so that we have an even stronger
talent pool to pick from at Select Group level. There is no-one better to lead
on that than Howard Webb."
Football Association chairman Greg Dyke paid tribute
to Webb, who was awarded an MBE in 2011.
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| Webb In Action (Photo: Totally Cool Pix) |
Dyke said: "On behalf of The FA, I would like to
pay tribute to Howard Webb for a magnificent and unrivalled refereeing career.
"Howard has taken charge of the biggest games
going - not least the 2010 World Cup Final.
"It
is no surprise that he was one of our most important ambassadors for The FA's
150th anniversary celebrations in 2013."
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