Sport Billy
11 Jan 2009, 11:43 AM
Most of you know, FourFourTwo has a section called "My Pefect XI" where someone famously connected with soccer gives their starting line up.
The January issue is with Swedish Ref Anders Frisk.
It was interesting to see a starting line up from a ref's POV.
Examples:
Fernando Hierro: A gentleman who you could talk to. I could ask him to have a word with one of his team-mates and he'd do it. It was like having an assistant on the pitch. Spain were beating Ireland 1-0 at the 2002 World Cup and I gave a last-minute penalty against Hierro. His team-mates were furious but he said nothing. After the match he said to me, "OK Frisk, you were right."
Paolo Maldini: Truly great professional. Always very polite on and off the pitch. Everyone respected him and he respected those around him. He was friendly, easy to talk to and understanding if I made a mistake. Never questioned decisions.
Knowing all referees are also huge admirers of the sport, I found his comments about Ronaldo to be very interesting.
Ronaldo: A player I refereed many times. Just like his Brazilian team-mate Ronaldinho, he was always friendly. To be there on the pitch and witness him at close quarters, at the height of his career, was amazing. He was so good I would sometimes lose concentration just watching him with the ball.
I thought that last bit was brilliant.
So, as a ref, have you had times where you catch yourself watching as a fan of the sport and not as a ref?
The January issue is with Swedish Ref Anders Frisk.
It was interesting to see a starting line up from a ref's POV.
Examples:
Fernando Hierro: A gentleman who you could talk to. I could ask him to have a word with one of his team-mates and he'd do it. It was like having an assistant on the pitch. Spain were beating Ireland 1-0 at the 2002 World Cup and I gave a last-minute penalty against Hierro. His team-mates were furious but he said nothing. After the match he said to me, "OK Frisk, you were right."
Paolo Maldini: Truly great professional. Always very polite on and off the pitch. Everyone respected him and he respected those around him. He was friendly, easy to talk to and understanding if I made a mistake. Never questioned decisions.
Knowing all referees are also huge admirers of the sport, I found his comments about Ronaldo to be very interesting.
Ronaldo: A player I refereed many times. Just like his Brazilian team-mate Ronaldinho, he was always friendly. To be there on the pitch and witness him at close quarters, at the height of his career, was amazing. He was so good I would sometimes lose concentration just watching him with the ball.
I thought that last bit was brilliant.
So, as a ref, have you had times where you catch yourself watching as a fan of the sport and not as a ref?