Howard Webb

Born on July 14, 1971, in Rotherham, England, Howard Melton Webb followed in his father’s footsteps, who was also a referee for 35 years. Webb initially began his refereeing career in local leagues in 1989, progressing through the ranks to become an assistant referee in the Northern Counties East League by 1993, and then a full referee for that league two years later. His dedication saw him quickly move up, becoming a Football League assistant referee in 1996 and then a Premier League assistant referee and Football Conference referee in 1998. He also served as a police officer with South Yorkshire Police before taking a sabbatical to focus on his refereeing career.

In 2000, Webb was included on the National List of Football League referees. Just three years later, he was promoted to the Select Group of professional referees, enabling him to officiate Premier League matches. His debut in England’s top football tier was on October 18, 2003, managing a goalless draw between Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Recognised for his authoritative and respected approach, he was appointed to FIFA’s international referees’ list in 2005, marking a significant step in his career.

Webb’s career highlights include officiating the 2005 FA Community Shield, the 2006 FA Trophy final, and the 2007 Football League Cup final, a match notable for three red cards being shown—a first in that competition’s final. In 2010, he achieved a unique distinction by becoming the first person to referee both the UEFA Champions League final and the FIFA World Cup final in the same year—a testament to his standing in international football. He continued to officiate major tournaments, including Euro 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, before retiring from active refereeing in August 2014 to become the technical director of the Professional Game Match Officials Board. He has since held prominent roles, including Director of Referees for the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Manager of Video Assistant Referee Operations for Major League Soccer’s Professional Referee Organization, returning to PGMOL as Chief Refereeing Officer in August 2022.