POLL ends international career! 
English referee Graham Poll has decided to retire from officiating at international tournaments after his high-profile blunder at the World Cup.
The official from Tring contrived to show Josip Simunic three yellow cards during Croatia's 2-2 draw with Australia, but failed to send the defender off having produced the second caution.
As a result, he was sent home from the tournament and has now decided to call time on his international career, although he will continue at club level.
"Certainly what happened a week ago is something I deeply regret," he explained in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News. "I'm really forced into doing this.
"I understand there is a big interest so I've decided I will make one comment, it's purely for Sky Sports.
"Obviously, people will pick up on it and report what they will, but this is it - the only comment I make on TV, radio and newspapers. It's the only comment Graham Poll will be making on World Cup 2006.
"Basically, inexcusably, I made an error in law. Most mistakes are conjecture; most discussion, most controversy surrounds opinion. Was it a penalty or wasn't it? Should it be a goal? Was the ref right to disallow a goal or not? Was a red card correct?
"They're things we can always debate. What I did was an error in law - there can be no dispute. It wasn't caused by a Fifa directive, it wasn't caused by me being asked to referee differently to in the Premier League. The others in my team were absolutely clear, however, the laws in the game are very specific. A referee takes responsibility for actions on the field of play.
"I was referee that evening, it was my error and the buck stops with me.
"It's not carrying the can, it's being honest. I've had a week to reflect. I've had the first two nights completely sleepless, it's been something that has hurt me deeply. It's not about carrying the can, it's about being open and saying to people I got it wrong, I'm sorry and it's time to move on.
"You come in from a high octane match, a match of massive, massive importance and pressure, billed as one of the matches of the group stages. I still believe it turned out to be one of the matches of the World Cup thus far. It was a fantastic game of football. I was happy. One or two things went wrong with the game but nothing major, I was happy with how it went.
"We were unaware of what had happened. Disbelief went around the dressing room when we were made aware of the error. We had to look at the DVD around 11.30 that evening and we realised, for me, that 26 years of hard work of refereeing, working up from park level, it meant my dream was over.
"Firstly, Fifa's reaction has been really, really impressive," he explained. "The head of refereeing came to me immediately and hugged me and said he was disappointed for me, not with me. That's important - it shows there's family here.
"I've had nothing but support from other referees, feeling it could've been any of us. Whatever communication system we have, for some reason, we've had it before and it does happen. What we don't want is it to happen on a big stage and it happened to me.
"Last night, at the farewell dinner, I had a personal call from Sepp Blatter to urge me to continue, not to doubt my ability as one of the best referees in the world. It has to touch you when the president of Fifa, the most powerful man in football, takes trouble to say not you're rubbish, you've let me down, you've ruined the tournament but, basically, nobody died. He said these things, it happens, you're a fantastic referee and I urge you to press on and carry on with your career.
"I've been inundated with messages," said Poll. "Obviously family and friends are going to be behind you . It helped a lot in the first two days because they were a complete living nightmare. I've had calls from Brian Barwick, Richard Scudamore and countless referees and then, when you hear messages from David Beckham, the England captain, actually saying he does know me - we think he's a nice guy as well - he's gone out of his way in the middle of a World Cup, (now win it boys, I would say for them), to take time out it's nice and touching.
"The first thing is disbelief," he recalled. "Shaking your head. I couldn't replay the decisions in my head as I couldn't recall them. I was so fatigued in the 90th minute. I've seen the video and it doesn't look like Graham Poll refereeing. Any supporters, if they watch that last 10 minutes, would say it doesn't look like Graham Poll refereeing. That's true.
"Now I've seen the DVD, it comes back over and over and over again in my mind. I think I'll wake up because it's a bad dream but it's not - it's reality.
"I've been very disappointed, unfortunately not surprised with the reaction of the media, it led me to, in the first few days, having thoughts of retirement. Certainly, I told Fifa I had no heart to referee another game at the World Cup. The decision wasn't needed for them, it wasn't them sending me home. It wasn't them saying you're rubbish, go away. They've supported me fully but it's too soon, too immediate to think about running out on a major, major game for Fifa.
"It was certainly my request [to go home] but I'm not in a position to tell Fifa what to do and what not to do. I stated what I felt, my remorse, and offered any help to the other referees to make sure it doesn't happen again. It wasn't easy but it was done. That to me, is what you can do. If Fifa wanted me to stay, I would've stayed for the remainder of the tournament. They know my place is with my family and friends, and it's time for me to go home, so I'm pleased.
"For the first two or three days, you think about retirement. You think it's all gone wrong and you start to doubt your ability. It probably didn't last too long. 26 years of hard work, hard graft and countless games have gone well. It's the end of my best season ever probably - the 56th match of refereeing - that's all around the world, 18 were overseas. It's been a grinding schedule, but, a week on, I'm encouraged by the support of many, many people.
"I will be back refereeing in the Premier League next season - August 19 we start. Keith Hackett has already organised a meeting for how we go forward. Five weeks of rest now will be good but I need to keep fit, keep in training and be ready for the start of the season but it's time for me to let go of the mistake.
"I reiterate that nobody got hurt from the error. Nobody died - remember football is a game, an important game, the world's game and what I did was a public mistake but it didn't affect qualification or the outcome of the match. It meant a player who shouldn't have been on the field stayed on the field for two or three minutes longer than they should've done. I'm not trying to minimise that error but, because of that, it makes it easier for me to move on.
"It's time to move on, time to let go, certainly not to retire and to come back fit and strong for next season.
"I've had three major championships - Euro 2000, World Cup 2002 and World Cup 2006. None have gone right or worked out for me for various reasons.
"You say in life, if one thing goes wrong, you're unlucky. Two, maybe you're really unlucky. If it's three, you have to look at yourself and say maybe something's not right there.
"I don't enjoy time away from home. It's a difficulty for me as I've got young children. I wouldn't be going to Euro 2008, that decision is taken. It's not a knee-jerk decision, I discussed it with The FA already and it's time for someone else from England to have a go.
"For me, tournament football is over.
"For me, it's time. What I do best is club football, club refereeing. Yes, I've had good international matches but tournament-wise it hasn't worked. You have to be honest with yourself. The pain I've gone through, the agony in Japan, to go through that there and to have it happen again, well I couldn't have it happen again and tournaments, for me, are now finished."
The Tring official is ready to face the flak from supporters up and down the country next season.
"We get stick whatever happens," he reasoned. "If a song has changed then the song changes. I don't know what they will come up with but it'll be witty and, probably by then, it'll be time to smile about it.
"It still doesn't take away the feeling. I had 30,000 referees in England who voiced their support for me to maybe achieve the ultimate, the first person to do the World Cup final since Jack Taylor in 1974.
"People need a dose of reality. They can all move on, once they've tried to destroy you. Someone said to me maybe one day, you can say, with your grandson on your lap, maybe you could've refereed the World Cup final - and I haven't."
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