5 best read referee interviews of 2013

The Dutch Referee Blogs publishes interviews with referees from all levels of football every now and then. Here are the 5 best read referee interviews of 2013.

  1. Kevin Blom. The Dutch referee who wrongly gave a penalty kick to the Czech Republic in the match against Scotland talked about the incident which costed the Scottish team a spot at the European Championships. Read the article “From heaven to hell in Scotland”.
  2. Jerome Damon. He was a 2010 World Cup referee in his own country South Africa. Unfortunately he did not pass the Fifa fitness test one year later. Damon talks about his injury and what the future will bring him as a referee. Read the story “Jerome Damon – Refereeing in South Africa”
  3. Ali Sabbagh. The interview with Sabbagh was published in the beginning of the year. He told me he wanted to reach the World Cup in the future, something no other center referee from Lebanon has ever achieved. Read his story “Lebanese referee want to reach the World Cup”. Just a few months after I published the interview Sabbagh got caught in match-fixing scandal. He got jailed for six months. Read more about Sabbagh’s fraud.
  4. Fifa referee Arnold Hunter form Fermanagh Northern Ireland.

    Fifa referee Arnold Hunter form Fermanagh Northern Ireland.

  5. Arnold Hunter. The referee from Northern Ireland got promoted to Uefa’s Second Group in 2013. Hunter is from a small country, but does everything he can to become an Elite referee. Read the interview with Arnold Hunter.
  6. Ingvar Gudfinsson. You might think: who is this guy? He’s an assistant referee from Iceland and worked with Kristin Jakobsson and was match official on high level. He quit his career at Anfield Road. I interviewed him for the series ‘Life after refereeing’. Read more about Ingvar Gudfinsson in the interview.

Brothers on the line: unique moment in European refereeing

Two brothers on the line during an Uefa match. Yes, that actually happened. In a 2014 Europa League match in Macedonia between FK Turnovo and Hajduk Split Richard Storey and David Anderson were the assistant referees of Arnold Hunter. Different name, you might think, but they got the same mother. A unique moment in international refereeing.

Dutch Referee Blog was able to interview the two brothers about this unique experience and their refereeing career so far.

I was also the first time that a refereeing team from Northern Ireland was a full Fermanagh and Western RA refereeing team, which is the smallest referee association in the country. “It is a historic occasion for the four referees and the Association and this also shows that the positive development, coaching, commitment and attitude from the members has been rewarded”, says the RA in a statement on their website.

David Anderson and Richard Storey: first brothers who got appointed for the same Uefa match.

David Anderson and Richard Storey: first brothers who got appointed for the same Uefa match.

Richard Storey is born in 1986 and is on the Fifa refereeing list since 2011. David Anderson is a Fifa referee since 2015 and already officiated as AR during two Uefa Europa League games in 2014. He got his Uefa CORE-diploma for talented refs earlier this year.

How was it to become the first brothers who officiated during the same international match?

(David): “To start of with, Richard was appointed originally to the game, I was called in due to another assistant being unavailable. From the moment Richard received his FIFA badge and the steady progress I have been making locally we always hoped an opportunity would arise for the two of us to officiate internationally together. Richard would have always used this to motivate myself over the past few years as it was always a goal we had between us.”

(Richard): “The majority of the time that Arnold gets an appointment I am fortunate enough to be part of his team and as David has made rapid progress the past couple of years having attended the UEFA CORE programme I felt it was only a matter of time until he received an appointment with us in Europe. I was delighted for him when he was called in as a replacement for another assistant. It was amazing to think that I would get to experience a match abroad with my younger brother.”

How did you two become involved in refereeing?
(David): “Richard started first and a couple of years later he talked me into doing the course and since then we haven’t looked back.”

(Richard): “I started refereeing back in January 2003 as a young 16 year old and was at it a few years when I finally persuaded David to become involved also. This was nice as obviously refereeing is quite a unique “hobby” and there were not many of my friends who understood it so it was nice to get a family member involved to share experiences with him and even have a chat with him after our matches.”

Logo of Fermanagh & Western Referee Association.

Logo of Fermanagh & Western Referee Association.

How is it to have a brother who is also refereeing?
(David): “For me it is a huge advantage. Richard would be my number one support, he always keeps me motivated and I know if I have a problem I will always turn to him first. We definitely would not compete against each other, both of us are happy for each other whenever we gain a good achievement, we would be the first ones to congratulate each other and we would never think bad if one gained an achievement and the other one never. We would train together as much as we can but sometimes that is not possible, Yes we do live in the same house together, after games and that we will always talk that night about how it went etcetera. We have another brother who has done the course but he is not active.”

(Richard): “I also feel it is a huge advantage having my younger brother as an assistant referee. We can share experiences and learn from each other which is great. There is no competition at all between us. If anything I want David to do as well if not better than me as it makes me extremely proud. As I have a few years more experience than David I made the FIFA list in 2011, however I feel that if David keeps working hard as he has been its inevitable that he will make the list very soon and that will make me just as happy as I was when I got on the list. As for training we do train together when possible but sometimes we have to train alone due to us working at different times of the day. That said we both make sure that we are going out to train 3 – 4 times a week at least.”

When was the moment when you thought you’d be become an assistant referee?
(David): “I refereed for about two years at a decent standard but decided to try lines for a season and I really enjoyed it and preferred it to refereeing. Plus when I see the advantages it gave Richard I wanted to do it also.”

(Richard): “Like David I also refereed for a while at the start of my career and as I enjoyed it and still enjoy it to this day however I seen vast opportunities within the assistant referee route. We had FIFA assistant referees who were approaching 45 so therefore I felt I should give it my best shot to work towards making the international list as an assistant and to be honest it’s a decision I don’t regret at all. ”

Fifa referee Arnold Hunter form Fermanagh Northern Ireland.

Fifa referee Arnold Hunter form Fermanagh Northern Ireland.

You two always work as a team with Arnold Hunter?

(David): “Richard would as the two of them are FIFA and travel a lot in Europe but we have worked together as a team in the league a few times. This is an advantage for me as we all know each other and are comfortable working together.”

(Richard): “I have basically worked with Arnold from day one of me being an assistant. We have climbed the ranks together and supported each other throughout. We both made the FIFA list on the same year and that was nice as we are both good friends as well as colleagues so we were both equally happy for each other. I feel we have a very good understanding on and off the pitch which helps the “team”. Arnold and I recently represented Northern Ireland out at UEFA for a Core development programme for international officials which was of great benefit to our learning and development. As for David he has worked with us on a domestic level numerous times and I really hope that he will feature with us on a more regular basis internationally in the future.”

What are your goals in refereeing?

(David): “My goals are to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully when I am the correct age I will gain my FIFA badge and officiate internationally just like my brother and if possible officiate with him again internationally.”

(Richard): “Since reaching the FIFA list my goals have always been the same. I hope one day that Arnold makes the elite category within UEFA so that we as a team could officiate at the very top level in competitions such as the Champions league. I know this will be extremely difficult but if we continue to work hard and take it one game at a time I think it is possible as we all have a great attitude towards our learning and development. We also are fortunate to have age on our side.”

Liked the article? You might also want to read the interview with referee Arnold Hunter on the Dutch Referee Blog.

Referee is the boss in the stadium (+4 more stories)

Referees in the media will be published at the beginning of the week on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading.

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Mike Riley, the general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited and a former FIFA referee, talks about bad weather conditions during a football match. He explains about pitch inspections and postponement rules.

"The referee is the bos of the stadium", says Michel Platini (here on 2012 archive image).

“The referee is the bos of the stadium”, says Michel Platini (here on 2012 archive image / Creative Commons).

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Uefa President Michel Platini talks about discriminating chants in the stadium and how referees should deal with it. He tells BBC that match-fixing is his biggest worry for future football.

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Arnold Hunter couldn’t make it as a referee on international level without support from his family. Read part 1 and part 2 of the interview with Arnold Hunter.

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Lorraine Clark is the first female referee to officiate at Ibrox during a match of the Glasgow Rangers.

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The AFC Deputy General Secretary stresses that Asian referees also need to educate themselves and not only do it when they have an meeting at the referee association.

Northern Ireland referee wants te become Elite

Arnold Hunter from Northern Ireland is happy he officiated such beautiful matches since he became a referee. Next Saturday he’ll be up for another top match in his home country: the cup final between Cliftonville and Crusaders.

The second part of the interview with him on the Dutch Referee Blog. Read the first part of the Arnold Hunter interview here.

Fifa referee Arnold Hunter form Fermanagh Northern Ireland.

Fifa referee Arnold Hunter form Fermanagh Northern Ireland.

How do you combine refereeing with your private life and work?

“I am very fortunate as I have an extremely supportive and understanding wife and family. Without my wife looking after our young daughter and my parents and brothers working and helping out on the family business (dairy farm), I would not have been able to referee as much as I have.”

What are your refereeing goals and what is your best moment so far?

“When I started my refereeing career I didn’t really think of long term goals, more like taking one step at a time and not to let myself or anyone else down by working hard at my game and improve my understanding of an evolving game. However this is changing more and more, as I developed and grew as a person and a referee.”

Arnold Hunter is a referee for eleven years now. “As the seasons changed along with the levels I was refereeing, I found myself falling more and more in love with this side of the beautiful game and as such my aspirations have grown. However I still adopt my first goals of working hard at each and every game, to learn and develop and not let myself or anyone else down.”

“I’ve been very fortunate the opportunities refereeing has afforded to me, in particular in the summer 2012 U19 finals tournament held in Estonia. This was my first time to be involved in such a prestigious tournament.”

“The teachings and experience received from the UEFA observers and the friendships made during these two weeks which culminated in having the honour of refereeing the semi-final Spain v France. An epic encounter that finished 3-3 after extra time with Spain winning on penalties. A career high I will treasure for the rest of my life and one I would love to experience again.”

Do you see chances for a referee from Northern Ireland to reach the Elite group?

“I’ve adopted a philosophy of never say never. I realise how extremely difficult it is to achieve elite status, no matter what country you are from, however it is an ambition of mine.”

“The help and support I and my European team have received over the years from the Irish Football Association (IFA) Referee Development Officer, Alan Snoddy, has been invaluable. His valued knowledge, advice and experience on the world football stage is immense and one I hope will strive us to excellence.”

What would be your advice to (young) referees?

“One of the observer’s said to me during the summer in Estonia if you continue to work hard and believe in what you do, you will reap the benefits.”

Read part 1 of this interview.

You also might want to see the short video interview referee Arnold Hunter did after he got the appointment to officiate at 2012’s UEFA European Under 19 Championship Finals in Estonia (3-15 July).

Arnold Hunter feels honoured to be a referee

Referee Arnold Hunter from Northern Ireland recently got promoted by Uefa to the international Second Group. His goal is become an Elite referee.

That’s what he says in an interview with the Dutch Referee Blog.

Referee Arnold Hunter from Northern Ireland who recently got promoted to Uefa's Second Group.

Referee Arnold Hunter from Northern Ireland who recently got promoted to Uefa’s Second Group.

The 33-year-old referee from Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, started officiating – as many referees – due to an injury. It was his uncle George Parkinson who introduced him at that moment into the wonderful world of refereeing. Now he has an international career, is in Second Group and got twelve more international years ahead.

How important was your uncle for you becoming a referee?

“My uncle was a founding member of Fermanagh and Western Referees’ Association. He was a football referee in the league for 25 years and later became a Match Observer. He is now President of the Association. It was during his time as a Match Observer, whilst I was recovering from a football injury, he suggested I attend the local referees’ beginners course. It was as simple as that.”

“As you can imagine, it is difficult to say No to your uncle so my younger brother and I, along with two others, attended and completed the course in November 2001. I refereed my first competitive senior mens’ junior league match in December 2001, which finished 3-4. I was hooked from that day.”

“As a teenager I was focused on playing football, occasionally though during the game I did think of learning the laws of the game to understand the game better but I had never considered refereeing before this conversation with my uncle. I’ve always been close to my uncle, although he certainly didn’t offer any special privileges and was hard on me at times.”

“On becoming a referee he had a major influence, my uncle is like a father figure to me; he had a wealth of experience and a great teaching ethos, so I never wanted to let him down.”

Northern Ireland Referees Association

Norther Ireland Referees Association

Don’t you miss being a player?

“No.”

Why not?

“Because I was a goal-keeper and suffered a bad arm break from colliding with a large 6ft centre forward! However, don’t get me wrong. I have some really happy memories of playing competitive football with my brothers and cousins in the Junior league. Looking back now, I would say I wouldn’t have ended up becoming a referee if I hadn’t played football.”

Is this more beautiful?

“Yes, definitely. As a referee I have been involved in matches I could only dream of as a player and I consider it a real honour to be involved in these games. Refereeing has brought me to places and countries I could only have imagined and introduced me to some wonderful people and friends within the refereeing family from across Europe.”

This is the first part of an interview with Arnold Hunter. Read also: Arnold Hunter (part 2 of the interview).