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Final whistle blows for Meier

Refereeing

Swiss official Urs Meier called time on a fine career in refereeing last weekend.

By Mark Chaplin

We hear so often about how players react when the final curtain falls on their careers, but what about referees? What goes through their minds when the last seconds of the last match tick down towards the final, shrill blast of the whistle?

Last domestic match
Switzerland's Urs Meier has been through this feeling over the past weekend. On Saturday, Meier - who has reached the international age limit - took charge of his final Swiss domestic match before entering a well-earned "retirement" after 27 years as a match official.

Thick of the action
The 45-year-old, who lives near Zurich, was in the thick of the action in a hectic encounter between champions FC Basel and second-placed FC Thun. The game swung to and fro in front of 23,000 fans, the two sides shared six goals, and Meier had to brandish the yellow card on two occasions.

Final moment
Then, finally, pointing to the centre circle, Meier signalled not only the end of the game, but also the final moment of a long and eventful refereeing journey which has seen him reach the highest summits. After swapping shirts with Thun's Andreas Gerber, the mixed feelings of "joy, sadness and nostalgia" that he was experiencing before the game gave way to moist eyes and doubtless a sudden feeling of emptiness.

Through the ranks
Meier began his refereeing career in 1977. He became a Swiss top-flight referee in 1991, and earned his FIFA badge in 1994. On the European stage, he cut his teeth at the UEFA European Under-16 Championship in the Republic of Ireland in 1994,and rose through the ranks to make it to both the FIFA and international élite lists.

Wonderful arenas
"I became a referee because I didn't play football that well," he said. "I wanted to be involved in football at great stadiums such as the San Siro in Milan, and thought that I could eventually do so as a referee."

Gamut of emotions
When he looks back on his career, Meier will run the entire gamut of emotions that any big-name referee collects along the way. In 1998, for example, he took charge of the poignant FIFA World Cup game between the United States and Iran. "The atmosphere in the stadium was unbelievable," he said.

Big responsibility
Having officiated at UEFA EURO 2000™, he took charge of the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League final between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Real Madrid CF, and two matches at the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan, including the semi-final between the Korean Republic and Germany.

Portugal experience
This summer brought a less happy experience. At EURO 2004™ in Portugal, Meier was the target of venomous criticism from some quarters for his decision to disallow an England goal in the quarter-final against Portugal. The referee endured considerable personal distress amid a situation that UEFA described as "unacceptable".

Harder job
Meier says that the referee's job has become more complicated over the years - the pace of the game, the amount at stake, and the conduct of players. He echoes so many of his colleagues in saying that while players are forgiven for mistakes or missed chances, referees can not expect such leniency.

Great satisfaction
Now his teenage son will take up the refereeing baton - and Meier says he will give him his whistle. Gerber's Thun shirt will join the one given to him by Zinedine Zidane after the inaugural match at the Stade de France. Once the initial sadness has worn off, Meier will be able to reflect on an excellent refereeing career.

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