Howard Webb retires from refereeing

Howard Webb, who has taken charge of some of the biggest League matches in Europe has retired from refereeing.  By that he brings a 25 years glowing career as a referee to an end.

 The 43 year old would now take up the role of Technical Director of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). He will oversee the technical direction and standards that govern the on-field performance of PGMOL’s match officials.

He will also manage the PGMOL training programme and coaching system and will work extensively on the successful development programme that provides a pathway for referees from Level 3 through to the Select Group.

In 2010, Webb became the first person to referee the finals of both the UEFA Champions League and the World Cup. His refereeing at the Brazil 2014 World cup was widely praised especially for the Round of 16 clash between host, Brazil and Chile.

"I am very excited to start this new chapter in my career after a wonderfully rewarding 25 years on the pitch," Webb said. "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 UEFA and FIFA tournaments, and taken charge of the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup finals.

"Refereeing has given me so much and 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 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."