Fifa will be releasing awards on the 7th of January for the best player (Ballon d’Or), best coach, most beautiful goal, a lifetime achievement and fair play.

Fifa Ballon d’Or award for best player.

In the end the worth reading blog World Of Football Refereeing elected Cuneyt Cakir as referee of 2012. Their verdict: “Çakır’s semifinal appearance in UEFA Champions League (FC Barcelona – Chelsea), at EURO 2012 having been one of the best officials of the tournament and finally his FIFA Club World Cup final were reasons enough for the majority to vote for him.”

Yes, he’s a very good referee. Can’t argue with that. But the referee who surprised me the most was Jonas Eriksson during the European Championship match between The Netherlands and Germany. I don’t remember the full match or specific details (yes, the Dutch lost – don’t remind me of that), but I really liked the way Eriksson let the players do their job, sometimes with much effort to get the ball. Loved that. He’s my referee of 2012.

Who is your referee of the year 2012? Or what is the best performance you’ve seen? And why?