Howard Webb MBE

If referee Howard Webb read Marca, he would know he is not so popular in Spain.  The Spanish sports daily labelled him ‘an enemy’ in their 2010 People of the Year Awards. But overall 2010 wasn’t a bad year for the Yorkshireman despite being booed (possibly by both sets of supporters, such was the volume) as he and his assistants collected their medals for officiating the World Cup Final. He also refereed the Champions League Final and an MBE in the New Years Honours list capped off a remarkable year for Webb. But is he as bad a referee as the Spanish think?

Webb was confirmed as a potential World Cup referee in 2008 and was called up to officiate in the 2009 Confederations Cup. However his first game was a controversial one. Egypt were playing Brazil and the African side were holding the opposition to a 3-3 draw as the game entered the last minute. Brazil went on the attack and had a chance of scoring but their shot was cleared off the line thanks to a handball by Ahmed Al-Muhammadi. Webb appeared to not see it and awarded a corner but then sent off the defender and awarded a penalty, which Brazil scored to win the game 4-3. The Egyptian management were furious saying Webb got advice from the 4th official who had seen a TV replay on the touchline. FIFA rejected this complaint, however Webb’s second game was a rather dull 0-0 draw between Iraq and New Zealand and he wasn’t chosen to referee in the knockout stages.

The 2009/2010 domestic season went well for Webb, he was rarely in the spotlight throughout the season, apart from a period over Christmas where he dished out 4 red cards in 3 games. His reputation increased in Europe though after consistent performances in the Champions League. A strong season would lead to Webb being appointed to officiate the Champions League Final at the Santiago Bernabeu between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich. It was a long way from his first Champions League match in 2005, a qualifying match between Haka and Valerenga. The match itself went fairly well for Webb but he had very little to do. He penalised 29 fouls during the match but only 3 were deserving of a yellow card and the match went similarly to the rest of the season for the referee. He did his job correctly and efficiently and stayed out of the spotlight, a contrast to how his World Cup went.

The World Cup started off well for Howard as he officiated two upsets: Spain’s defeat to Switzerland and Italy’s defeat to Slovakia in the group stage. Over these two games he handed out 12 yellow cards and unlike the Confederations Cup the previous year, he was kept on for the knockout stage. He officiated in a last 16 game but wasn’t picked for the quarter finals.

He then missed out on a semi-final but still wasn’t sent home by FIFA. Then Webb and his English assistants were appointed to the World Cup Final, arguably the biggest game in world football. However it wasn’t as glorious for Webb as it sounds. The Dutch side made it as tough as possible for the referee by trying to kick the Spaniards off the pitch.

Nigel de Jong perhaps took this a little bit too literally as he, now infamously, caught Xabi Alonso in the chest with his studs, a challenge for which he saw a yellow card. Webb was heavily criticised for the decision. In hindsight I’m sure he would show a red card but he was doing his best to keep 22 players on the pitch, an objective the Spanish disagreed with. He tried to let the game flow and make it an enjoyable game but possibly went too far in not punishing the Dutch players as harshly as he should. The fact that Holland kept 11 players on the pitch until extra time was surprising to some and shocking to Spain fans. The fans didn’t hide their feelings when the officials collected their medals.

Holland’s tactics made the game  a tough one for Webb and he was almost in a no-win situation. If he had given out 2 or 3 red cards, would he be criticised for killing the game off? Ironically, the challenge that saw John Heitinga receive his second yellow card was rather a soft one compared to others that received the same punishment.

Webb’s performance in the World Cup Final was criticised by the Spanish media but defended by most. Members of the Referees Association in Britain spoke out in defence and FIFA President Sepp Blatter also defended him. Howard Webb said he was proud of his performance and perhaps he would change some decisions with the benefit of hindsight.

2010 ended on a better note for Howard Webb as he was awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours list for ’services to football’. A crowning achievement in the year he became the first referee to officiate the Champions League and World Cup Finals in the same season. Ask a Spaniard whether Howard Webb had a good year and he would probably say it’s a stupid question, of course not. But overall Webb has overseen two games in one year that most referees never experience and he officiated them rather well. Whether Webb had a good or bad year is up for debate and down to personal opinion, but in my opinion Webb did his job well and his performances in 2010 have confirmed him as one of the world’s top referees.

(photo credit: Al-Ahram)

Howard Webb, Referees and Rules