English referee Howard Webb has today brought an end to a 25-year refereeing career following his appointment as Technical Director of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited.

In a statement on the Premier League website, Webb said ”I am very excited to start this new chapter in my career after a wonderfully rewarding 25 years on the pitch”

He added ”Refereeing has given me so much and it’s important that match officials who have had the rewards remain in the game to pass on their knowledge.”

PGMOL General Manager Mike Riley stated ”We want to accelerate the development of referees from the semi-professional game so that we have an even stronger talent pool to pick from at Select Group level. There is no one better to lead on that than Howard Webb.”

A FIFA Elite referee, Webb began his career in 1989 and was one of the Premier League’s finest match officials, officiating over 500 matches in the English top flight and domestic Cups.

He has also officiated in two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships, and became the first referee to officiate the World Cup final and European Championship final in the same year in 2010.