JOHANNESBURG -- There were perhaps several Englishmen who would have been glad to see the exit of their pratfalling national team from South Africa 2010. But three, in particular, had a vested interest that Wayne Rooney & Co. would be gone. Referee Howard Webb will be assisted at Soccer City on Sunday by linesmen Darren Cann and Mike Mullarkey in officiating the World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands.
As match referee, Webb will be the center of attention, or at least will be trying to avoid becoming so, and it marks an annus mirabilis for the Rotherham-born whistleblower. He was also in charge of this year's UEFA Champions League final in Madrid as well as England's League Cup final at Wembley. Sunday will mark the peak of a career that began in South Yorkshire's amateur leagues back in 1989. He arrived on the Football League scene in 2000 and by 2003 was officiating in the Premier League. He was soon called up to officiate international matches and continental club games.
The 39-year-old Webb has gained a reputation for a strong-arm approach, and his no-nonsense demeanor and appearance certainly adds to that image. His shaven head and his regular use of theatrical gestures have been compared to legendary Italian ref Pierluigi Collina, the man who refereed the 2002 World Cup final. Indeed, Webb's approach to players who he believes are feigning injuries looks right out of the Collina scrapbook. Perceived fakers are often hauled from the ground by the muscular arms of a man who took a sabbatical from being a police sergeant to pursue his ambitions as a professional referee.
The nature of his job invites controversy and Webb's career has not been without some unwelcome headlines. His first major Wembley occasion resulted in him dismissing three players, as London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea fought out -- literally -- the League Cup final. The game lapsed into a late brawl and managers Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho even took the pitch to calm matters. Webb's decisions, however, were largely agreed with and did nothing to harm the trajectory of his career.
Webb's first major international tournament was Euro 2008 and with it came notoriety when he awarded a penalty to Austria in the very last minute of its match with Poland. That the decision was taken after a bout of shirt-pulling by Mariusz Lewandowski on Sebastian Prodl -- such matters are usually left to rest -- met with Polish fury, and Webb became known as the "most hated man in Poland." He was even lambasted by that country's president.
One man who will not be happy about Webb's rise to the pinnacle of the game is Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who mounted a long campaign of complaint after Webb did not send off Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic for a last-man foul in this year's League Cup final. That anger was doubled after an FA Cup semifinal defeat to Chelsea in which O'Neill said his team were denied both a clear penalty and that Webb should have dismissed John Terry for a nasty tackle on James Milner. An apology was demanded but never received.
Webb's approach to his job can be fastidious, and he always likes to be close to the action. One regular complaint is that his desire to be near to the ball can often result in him obstructing intricate passing moves. Perhaps the Spanish may fall foul of his due care and attention; they have already been acquainted with him during their opening defeat to the Swiss.
Webb's other 2010 World Cup games in charge were Italy's exit at the hands of Slovakia, in which he clearly impressed with his non-acceptance of some Slovak play-acting as the Italians chased the game, and Brazil's second-round defeat of Chile, in which Mullarkey won praise for allowing Luis Fabiano's goal to stand when offside was made moot.
FIFA has clearly appreciated his observance of its strict rules. Webb has escaped the types of farce that ended the tournaments of officials like Roberto Rossetti and Jorge Larrionda to become the fourth Englishman to referee the final, the last being Jack Taylor when the Dutch lost the 1974 final. Earlier in the tournament, Webb spoke to Soccernet about his happiness at just being able to be at the finals.
"I'll tell you this," he said. "There are 30,000 refs in England and 29,999 would love to be in my shoes right now."
John Brewin is the senior editor of ESPNSoccernet in London.
