PGMOL technical director
The former policeman has been a Premier League
official since 1998 and has taken charge of
Champions League and World Cup finals in a long and
established career
Howard Webb has retired
from refereeing to become
techincal director at
Professional Game Match
Officials Limited.
Webb, 43, started his refereeing career in 1989 and
oversaw his first Premier League match in October
2003, before being added to Fifa's international
referees' list two years later.
In 2010 he took charge of the Champions League final
between Inter and Bayern Munich, and then the World
Cup final in South Africa as Spain beat the
Netherlands.
Webb's new role will include "overseeing the
technical direction and standards that govern the on-
field performance of PGMOL’s match officials",
according to an official statement.
He will also be responsible for the training and
coaching of referees, as well as "informing and
educating" the public on refereeing issues.
“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 major international
tournaments, and taken charge of the UEFA
Champions League and FIFA World Cup Finals.
“Refereeing has given me so much and I think 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 I believe 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."
Mike Riley, former Premier League referee and
general manager at PGMOL, added: "Howard has
been the foremost referee of his generation and an
inspiration for match officials in this country and
around the world."