Final whistle for Dallas

By Jim Agnew

The final whistle may have blown this week on the international career of one of UEFA's most outstanding referees, but Hugh Dallas is focusing on the positives.

'The next chapter'
"It's the next chapter," he told uefa.com. "I'm a great believer in don't look upon it as being sad, look back at the fact that it has taken place first in the first instance.I've had a fantastic career, really enjoyed it and I'll move on to something new, hopefully within refereeing."

Impressive career
The company director from Motherwell, who turned 45 in October and thus reached the FIFA retirement age, has refereed at the Olympic Games, FIFA Confederations Cup, EURO 2000™, two FIFA World Cups, the 1999 UEFA Cup final in Moscow and this year's UEFA Super Cup in Monaco, as well as being a regular in the UEFA Champions League.

Dallas for Dallas
Dallas made his debut in European club football in September 1993, when he took charge of a match between Aalborg BK and RC Deportivo La Coruña. Six months later he was the 'man in the middle' for his first national team game, a 2-2 draw between the United States and Bolivia, ironically in Dallas, Texas.

Memorable draw
Last Tuesday's game between Internazionale FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen, which Inter won 3-2, was his 89th international game at both club and national level. In those games, he officiated over a 0-0 scoreline just seven times. Yet one of those games is his most memorable moment - France against Italy in the World Cup quarter-finals in 1998.

French delight
"I went to France, as a relatively rookie referee and to referee the quarter-final, was way beyond my wildest dreams," he said. "The family were there, my friends were there, it was the host nation in the Stade de France, so it really didn't get any better than that."

Glasgow grit
For the toughest games Dallas never had to look to far from home, citing any meeting of the Old Firm - Rangers FC and Celtic FC. "I don't think they come much harder than the Glasgow derbies," he said. "I've been fortunate to have also refereed in the Cairo derbies, and they are very tough matches, but I think the Old Firm games are as hard as they get!"

Ultimate challenge
Dallas has refereed 15 Old Firm matches and his preparation for it is the same. "Early on a referee will be very, very strong in a match like that," he said. "I'm a great believer that a referee can't make a bad game good, but he can certainly make a good game bad, so it's important that he conducts it properly."

Future fears
As he reaches the end of his on-the-field career, Dallas has sympathy for referees he leaves behind because of the growing pressure due to media exposure. "The television coverage throughout the world is immense now and referees have to be properly prepared, 100 per cent fit when you are refereeing at the top, top level," he said.

Champions League buzz
Dallas is not being forced to retire completely. He will continue to be a referee in the Scottish Premier League, but admits he will miss international refereeing, saying: "The buzz of travelling abroad and your representing your country, refereeing in some of the best stadiums in world. The Champions League must be one of the greatest tournaments that has ever lived, and to referee in that competition is extra special, so I'll really miss refereeing in the Champions League." The Champions League will doubtless miss him too.