--- product_id: 49701487 title: "The Man in the Middle: The Autobiography of the World Cup Final Referee" price: "VT10162" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/49701487-the-man-in-the-middle-the-autobiography-of-the-world store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Elite Football Insight World Cup Final Referee 1,025+ Reviews The Man in the Middle: The Autobiography of the World Cup Final Referee **Price:** VT10162 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > ⚡ Step into the shoes of the world’s most scrutinized referee and never watch football the same way again! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Man in the Middle: The Autobiography of the World Cup Final Referee - **How much does it cost?** VT10162 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/49701487-the-man-in-the-middle-the-autobiography-of-the-world) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Unfiltered, Authentic Memoir:** Raw, honest anecdotes revealing the intense pressure and scrutiny behind the whistle. - • **Inside Access to Elite Refereeing:** Discover the fitness regimes, psychological tests, and teamwork that define top-tier referees. - • **Join a Community of Football Aficionados:** Over 1,000 readers rate it 4.3 stars—don’t miss out on this essential football biography. - • **Reach the Pinnacle of Football Officiating:** Experience the journey of the referee who commanded the World Cup Final and Champions League Final. - • **A Unique Perspective on Football’s Hidden Heroes:** Celebrate the mental toughness and split-second decisions that shape the beautiful game. ## Overview The Man in the Middle is Howard Webb’s candid autobiography chronicling his rise to the apex of football refereeing, including officiating the World Cup Final. With over 1,000 reviews averaging 4.3 stars, this book offers an unvarnished look at the physical, mental, and emotional demands of elite refereeing, revealing the intense scrutiny and teamwork behind every decision on the pitch. ## Description The Man in the Middle: The Autobiography of the World Cup Final Referee : Webb, Howard: desertcart.co.uk: Books Review: Am interesting insight to a great career - For any fan of football, there are plenty tales and references to well known characters within this that make it an interesting and enjoyable read. As biographies go, this provides a decent insight into the world of elite level refereeing and of course the man who reached the summit of the profession. Really enjoyed it and for the download price it was an absolute bargain. Review: The Best of the recent crop of Referee Memoirs... - . If you are fed up with the recent spate of self-indulgent referee autobiogs (most notably the ones by Graham Poll and Mark "Jose is my mate" Halsey) then rest assured this author comes across as a much more genuine, humble and down-to-earth bloke, due in no small part to his plain-speaking Yorkshire roots. Inevitably referee memoirs are all similar because their career journeys are much the same :..... young kid is encouraged (usually by Dad) to take up reffing ‘cos he is soccer-mad but not good enough to play the game ...... he works his way up through the junior/local/Contrib’ leagues (cue lots of character-building stories) ...... he puts in much hard work, suffers setbacks and has the odd lucky break ...... gets appointed to the Football League and then eventually to the highly competitive and pressurised bitch-fest of PGMOL and the Prem’. But of course there are dozens of top-class former referees. To get a book deal when you retire you need a USP. Poll’s was his 3-card-trick at the 2006 World Cup which ended his international career but set him up with media work for a few years. Halsey’s was the cancer which unfortunately struck him and his wife simultaneously, garnering huge support from colleagues, the media and the football community, including the aforementioned Mourinho. [incidentally, Halsey has now beaten the cancer but lost all the goodwill, having chosen to slag off his ex-colleagues every week in The Sun]. Howard Webb’s USP is that he made it to the very top - Champions League Final, World Cup Final - and for that reason his book is a more interesting read. Webb isn’t a natural writer and doesn’t pretend to be. Do not expect lyrical prose. The book doesn’t so much flow as stutter - as if a series of anecdotes dictated to his shadow writer over a few beers, complete with frequent coarse language and occasional judgemental opinions. He admits to the mistakes, dodgy performances and low assessment-marks along the way. Many of the Prem’ recollections provide a colourful insight into the personalities and the top-level matchday experience. But what comes across most strongly is the incredible pressure and scrutiny these guys ('Select Group' refs) have to endure. They certainly earn their salary. The fitness regimes, psychological testing, intense match schedules and team-building retreats - which sound more stressful than 'I'm A Celebrity' on steroids - push them to the limit. In hindsight it’s a minor miracle Webb held it all together, being OCD which he concealed from his colleagues for most of his career. And then there is television: Try to imagine 28 cameras pointed at you from every conceivable angle and having each second of your work performance scrutinised by millions - every sprint, body movement, facial expression and decision you make. Every single week. And it is even tougher for assistant referees (a much harder job ‘cos the referee can control the match whereas the assistant is mostly reactive, making closed Yes/No calls under intense pressure – often two or three at phenomenal speed, all in a matter of 5-10 seconds - and having to get each and every one correct). The concentration levels and mental computation speeds displayed by these guys is simply astonishing and that’s why they are at the top of the tree, having emerged through a demanding promotion regime over many years. Webb, to his credit, waxes lyrical about his superb assistants and he acknowledges it was his teaming with Mike Mullarkey and Darren Cann which propelled all of their careers to the very top. The three of them immediately hit it off, forming a partnership built on close friendship, trust and mutual support which was soon noticed by UEFA, then FIFA. The trio stayed intact all the way to The World Cup Final. By the end Webb comes across as a likeable and decent guy. He’s humble enough to own up to his mistakes - chiefly of course the missed red-card for De Jong in the Final. He also admits he wasn’t quite the same referee when he returned from that World Cup for the 2010-11 season (I recall thinking that at the time) and he was accordingly dropped from the Champions League. Another big regret was failing to stick up for Cann who was harshly omitted from Euro 2012 by UEFA, thereby putting an end to the dream team. Webb also semi-reluctantly accepts an MBE after the World Cup whilst Cann and Mullarkey are inexplicably overlooked – almost certainly a consequence of yet another pathetic oversight by the incompetent FA who should have ensured the assistants were recognised alongside the referee. [Amusingly, at the presentation Prince Charles doesn't appear to know who Webb is, thinking he’s been given his gong for 25 years’ service in the minor leagues!] All very interesting and enjoyable then. But I must declare just one problem I have with this book – not something in it but instead something very conspicuous by its absence. I was expecting Webb to discuss the Hillsborough disaster - at least in passing – from his standpoint as a young local football fan in Rotherham at the time and then, later, a South Yorkshire Constabulary sergeant. Furthermore he was in the SY police at exactly the time of the appalling Rotherham sex-abuse episode which has tainted his force forever. Of course there is no suggestion Webb was personally involved but in such a small community he must know the key individuals and details of how such a scandal unfolded. Unfortunately the shameful conduct of his senior officers in obstructing investigations and failing to acknowledge or own-up to corruption/misconduct allegations taints Webb’s CV – albeit by association. His silence is deafening. But despite that it is still a good book, leaving you appreciative of how professional and mentally tough the modern referee has to be. The standard of refereeing is a million times higher than it was pre-Sky and the now-routine TV scrutiny. It simply HAD to improve when the Premier League was born in 1992 and the top officials all went full-time. If you don’t remember what standards were like pre-'92, just revisit one of your favourite team's videos from the eighties and you’ll be very amused or shocked - or both - at the amateur-like officiating (fitness, body language, positioning, match control) compared to nowadays. Our English national team and our FA may currently be the laughing stock but the standard of our refereeing is globally acknowledged to be the best in the world. Howard Webb provides an excellent insight into how we have attained that status. ## Features - New Store Stock ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 235,777 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 41 in World Cup Football 505 in Sporting Events 590 in Football Biographies (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,025 Reviews | ## Images ![The Man in the Middle: The Autobiography of the World Cup Final Referee - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/813YmBQae0L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Am interesting insight to a great career *by J***B on 26 October 2017* For any fan of football, there are plenty tales and references to well known characters within this that make it an interesting and enjoyable read. As biographies go, this provides a decent insight into the world of elite level refereeing and of course the man who reached the summit of the profession. Really enjoyed it and for the download price it was an absolute bargain. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Best of the recent crop of Referee Memoirs... *by P***T on 23 October 2016* . If you are fed up with the recent spate of self-indulgent referee autobiogs (most notably the ones by Graham Poll and Mark "Jose is my mate" Halsey) then rest assured this author comes across as a much more genuine, humble and down-to-earth bloke, due in no small part to his plain-speaking Yorkshire roots. Inevitably referee memoirs are all similar because their career journeys are much the same :..... young kid is encouraged (usually by Dad) to take up reffing ‘cos he is soccer-mad but not good enough to play the game ...... he works his way up through the junior/local/Contrib’ leagues (cue lots of character-building stories) ...... he puts in much hard work, suffers setbacks and has the odd lucky break ...... gets appointed to the Football League and then eventually to the highly competitive and pressurised bitch-fest of PGMOL and the Prem’. But of course there are dozens of top-class former referees. To get a book deal when you retire you need a USP. Poll’s was his 3-card-trick at the 2006 World Cup which ended his international career but set him up with media work for a few years. Halsey’s was the cancer which unfortunately struck him and his wife simultaneously, garnering huge support from colleagues, the media and the football community, including the aforementioned Mourinho. [incidentally, Halsey has now beaten the cancer but lost all the goodwill, having chosen to slag off his ex-colleagues every week in The Sun]. Howard Webb’s USP is that he made it to the very top - Champions League Final, World Cup Final - and for that reason his book is a more interesting read. Webb isn’t a natural writer and doesn’t pretend to be. Do not expect lyrical prose. The book doesn’t so much flow as stutter - as if a series of anecdotes dictated to his shadow writer over a few beers, complete with frequent coarse language and occasional judgemental opinions. He admits to the mistakes, dodgy performances and low assessment-marks along the way. Many of the Prem’ recollections provide a colourful insight into the personalities and the top-level matchday experience. But what comes across most strongly is the incredible pressure and scrutiny these guys ('Select Group' refs) have to endure. They certainly earn their salary. The fitness regimes, psychological testing, intense match schedules and team-building retreats - which sound more stressful than 'I'm A Celebrity' on steroids - push them to the limit. In hindsight it’s a minor miracle Webb held it all together, being OCD which he concealed from his colleagues for most of his career. And then there is television: Try to imagine 28 cameras pointed at you from every conceivable angle and having each second of your work performance scrutinised by millions - every sprint, body movement, facial expression and decision you make. Every single week. And it is even tougher for assistant referees (a much harder job ‘cos the referee can control the match whereas the assistant is mostly reactive, making closed Yes/No calls under intense pressure – often two or three at phenomenal speed, all in a matter of 5-10 seconds - and having to get each and every one correct). The concentration levels and mental computation speeds displayed by these guys is simply astonishing and that’s why they are at the top of the tree, having emerged through a demanding promotion regime over many years. Webb, to his credit, waxes lyrical about his superb assistants and he acknowledges it was his teaming with Mike Mullarkey and Darren Cann which propelled all of their careers to the very top. The three of them immediately hit it off, forming a partnership built on close friendship, trust and mutual support which was soon noticed by UEFA, then FIFA. The trio stayed intact all the way to The World Cup Final. By the end Webb comes across as a likeable and decent guy. He’s humble enough to own up to his mistakes - chiefly of course the missed red-card for De Jong in the Final. He also admits he wasn’t quite the same referee when he returned from that World Cup for the 2010-11 season (I recall thinking that at the time) and he was accordingly dropped from the Champions League. Another big regret was failing to stick up for Cann who was harshly omitted from Euro 2012 by UEFA, thereby putting an end to the dream team. Webb also semi-reluctantly accepts an MBE after the World Cup whilst Cann and Mullarkey are inexplicably overlooked – almost certainly a consequence of yet another pathetic oversight by the incompetent FA who should have ensured the assistants were recognised alongside the referee. [Amusingly, at the presentation Prince Charles doesn't appear to know who Webb is, thinking he’s been given his gong for 25 years’ service in the minor leagues!] All very interesting and enjoyable then. But I must declare just one problem I have with this book – not something in it but instead something very conspicuous by its absence. I was expecting Webb to discuss the Hillsborough disaster - at least in passing – from his standpoint as a young local football fan in Rotherham at the time and then, later, a South Yorkshire Constabulary sergeant. Furthermore he was in the SY police at exactly the time of the appalling Rotherham sex-abuse episode which has tainted his force forever. Of course there is no suggestion Webb was personally involved but in such a small community he must know the key individuals and details of how such a scandal unfolded. Unfortunately the shameful conduct of his senior officers in obstructing investigations and failing to acknowledge or own-up to corruption/misconduct allegations taints Webb’s CV – albeit by association. His silence is deafening. But despite that it is still a good book, leaving you appreciative of how professional and mentally tough the modern referee has to be. The standard of refereeing is a million times higher than it was pre-Sky and the now-routine TV scrutiny. It simply HAD to improve when the Premier League was born in 1992 and the top officials all went full-time. If you don’t remember what standards were like pre-'92, just revisit one of your favourite team's videos from the eighties and you’ll be very amused or shocked - or both - at the amateur-like officiating (fitness, body language, positioning, match control) compared to nowadays. Our English national team and our FA may currently be the laughing stock but the standard of our refereeing is globally acknowledged to be the best in the world. Howard Webb provides an excellent insight into how we have attained that status. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good book *by M***N on 27 May 2025* Excellent read --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/49701487-the-man-in-the-middle-the-autobiography-of-the-world](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/49701487-the-man-in-the-middle-the-autobiography-of-the-world) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-08*