A (less than ordinary) Week in the Life of a FIFA Assistant Referee.

John Swindley   On the evening of June 24^th I left work as normal but had a voicemail from John Deakin asking me to give him a call as soon as possible. I tried immediately to get back to him but got no response. After 7 months of waiting in Wales with my FIFA badge I wondered whether my delay in returning his call had meant that I’d possibly missed my first chance of getting an appointment.

Luckily within no time he returned the call saying that he was out of the office but wondered if I could go to Montenegro with Huw Jones, Alun Boore and Darren Adie on 8^th July for a Champions League 1^st Qualifying Round 2^nd leg between FC Mogren of Montenegro and  Hibernians from Malta. As you can imagine saying “yes” came quite easily. Within no time I was wanting to tell everyone who had helped and supported me up until this stage the good news. However, I was also beginning to realise that in just 2 weeks time I was going to be heading off for the biggest game of my career so far.

The following day I made sure that I could book the time off work then began trying to sort out arrangements such as kit, luggage, insurance etc.

Two days after the conversation with John Deakin I received a call from Rodger Gifford. After initially wondering what I’d done wrong this time I realised he sounded far too relaxed and thought it must have just been to confirm the appointment.

To my surprise he had phoned to offer me another appointment for 15^th – 17^th July, this time in Switzerland between Basel of Switzerland and FC Santa Colomba of Andorra in a Europa Cup 2^nd Qualifying Round 1^st Leg.  Ceri Richards was the referee with Phil Bates and Kevin Parry completing the team. With this I knew I was in for an unforgettable week or so in July!

Even before I left for the first trip, kit turned out to be much more difficult to get hold of than I first thought. Unfortunately, FIFA ended up not supplying the Welsh FA with enough kit. So it was time to beg steal and borrow, with only a couple of days to go before I left. On the Friday JB Roberts agreed to post his kit across, but following an admin error at the post office there was still no sign of it on Monday. Luckily Huw said he had enough that I could borrow so finally, the night before our flights, all the pieces were in place and ready.

Having checked and double checked everything I waited for Huw. On getting to Manchester Airport I was confident that it was the worst bit over with. Huw gave me a line about his hand luggage being completely packed so I was left with his flags as a “favour”. Little did I know as a new assistant that this was an invitation for a baggage search at every security check with Huw finding it funnier and funnier each time it happened.

After arriving in Podgorica via Paris, where we had met up with Darren and Alun, we were all ready to get changed, relax and enjoy the warmth of Montenegro. Unfortunately, Montenegro Airlines had not bought in to that plan. As we watched the other passengers disappear we were left staring at an empty baggage conveyor hoping, in vain that it was a temporary delay. After a small wait we realised that we were left without anything other than our suits, which we had travelled in and our kit, which was in our hand luggage.

After reporting our bags missing we were taken to our hotel where we were greeted by a refereeing legend in Michel Vautrot. We had listened to him speak at a Welsh Premier League Seminar in Caersws a couple of years earlier and had all felt privileged to be in the presence of a referee who had achieved so much within the game. This gave me an even bigger feeling of fear that I was going to be found out as not being up to the task and this would not only be my first game but also my last.

I could not have been further from the truth. Over the next day or so before the game his presence took away all of this anxiety and uncertainty. If ever a man could make someone feel as though he belonged and was ready it appeared to be Michel. Everyone was a friend waiting for him, even if he had never met them before or had no idea as to who they were!

Following our safety meeting on the Wednesday the four of us were given something to wear by the Football Association of Montenegro. Equipped  in their national teams polo shirts, shorts and flip flops we were taken by our liaison officer Amil and Observer Michel to the centre of Podgorica. As we walked around the centre of the city we now looked even more like tourists although the lack of publicity for football over there led to some locals treating us as though we were stars of the national team which was quite an experience in itself.

After lunch it was time to prepare for the game. A thorough chat about pre match instructions and our tactical approach to the game was followed by a couple of hours of chilling alone. I could pretend that I spent this deep in thought going over the way the game could pan out but it seemed much more sensible to sleep.

Before I knew it we were on our way to the ground and ready for my first match. Once at the ground I felt much more “in the zone” and ready to go. After getting changed it was time to warm up. Going out to a heat still close to 30 degrees it didn’t  take long to feel warm. As we went round the ground it was clear that it was beginning to get a bit busier and was getting close to the 4,000 crowd that was there by kick off.

Back in the dressing room there was time to have a quick drink before handshakes all round then time for business. Studs checks, jewellery checks, leading the teams out, TV cameras and the FIFA handshake all added to it feeling a “bit different”. After net checks we were ready for off. The game flew by with us all confident that we had put in a good performance in a game which especially early on was far more difficult than the 4 v 0 made it sound.

I had been fairly busy in the 1^st half but was almost a spectator for the 2^nd 45 minutes. With the final whistle I felt a huge sense of relief that my debut game had passed by without anything too serious happening.

After showers and the starters of our late meal it was time for the debrief. As with everything else that Michel had done that week it was extremely fair, accurate and above all else well worth listening to. Very little advice was offered to each of us but what was, really gave room for reflection and consideration for putting it in to action in the future. Each of us felt much better after this and we were left to enjoy the rest of our night.

The following morning, after breakfast, it was time to say goodbye. We headed for the airport after a couple of days that I knew I would never forget.

On arrival at the airport we were all resigned to the fact that we would report back to the lost and found desk and remain just with hand luggage for the rest of our trip. Much to our surprise we saw four suitcases sitting there waiting. We then started the trip home this time via Frankfurt all feeling much more relaxed that a big game was out of the way and that we had our bags back.

On returning home I felt exhausted from trying to take everything in throughout the trip but glad that it was going to be just 6 days until I got to experience it all again. Going back to work for 3 days was spent in the main wishing for the Wednesday to arrive when we would be flying out to Amsterdam and then on to Basel.

There was only one part of the trip that I was dreading and that was the flight time out. 6am from Manchester meant getting out of bed at 3.30am. I only ever knew of there being one 3.30 and that was in the early afternoon. None the less I was up and ready and met Kevin at the car park in Manchester before flying to Amsterdam to meet with Ceri and Phil.

When we met in Amsterdam it took all of a minute for it to become clear that a comment made in jest to Alun Boore about me joining a “saga trip”, due to me being almost 20 years younger than the next youngest person on our trip, had quickly travelled around South Wales!  The only downside to the comment was that this obviously made me the junior member and responsible for fetching, carrying and assisting the older ones. Luckily this punishment didn’t last too long!

After four hours in the lounge at Amsterdam it was time to board our plane to Basel. Each of us was now looking forward to an afternoon relaxing in Switzerland on the day before our game. Unfortunately on boarding our plane we were asked to wait a while as plane staff had been delayed getting on to the plane. This was then followed by us being asked to bear with the pilot as he prepared the plane. Now almost 45 minutes later we were told that there was a problem with the hydraulics which they were looking in to. We were then informed that we would require another plane and made to wait around until this could be sorted. Three hours after having first boarded the plane for Basel we were on our way.

At least this time our bags arrived and we were ready to go to our hotel. We were left to relax before a meal in the centre of Basel and a fairly early night. The next morning after breakfast I learnt a valuable lesson in time keeping. I had remembered to change the time on my phone but had not checked it against the actual time. Therefore, when I strolled down at 9.15am to go to the security meeting Ceri was already out looking for me. I realised later that my phone was five minutes out but for the rest of the morning wished that I had not had to learn the hard way. I felt awful for having let those around me down over something so easy to get right. Needless to say for the rest of the trip I was everywhere at least ten minutes early!

On arriving at the ground it was clear that this was going to be another step up. The venue had been used to host games during the Euro 2008 tournament and it was soon clear why. The purpose built complex with a stadium holding up to 37,500 fans was definitely different from anywhere else I had ever officiated. At the safety meeting everything had been prepared in detail by the home club so within fifteen minutes it was time to leave again. The only disappointment being that despite tickets being given away for this tie the representatives from Basel still only expect about 6,000 supporters to be at the game.

Following the meeting we were taken back to the hotel and then it was a chance to get out and see some of the sites of Basel. This was a fantastic opportunity to see a stunning city. We were guided around by our liaison officer with part of our experience including a trip on a wooden boat across the Rhine. Not all those on the trip were fond of boats and water which made the journey even more memorable! After a wander round it was time for lunch before heading back to the hotel to relax and concentrate on the game.

It seemed that within no time we were heading for the ground. Each of us beginning to mentally prepare for the task ahead. Ceri’s experience of officiating at venues such as these on a weekly basis in the English Premier League certainly helped all of the team to feel as though they belonged there. On getting to the ground at 6pm it was clear that the 6,000 spectators that had been mentioned in the morning meeting would easily be  passed. Within minutes of the gates opening there must have been over 3,000 people in the crowd with there showing no sign of slowing down at the gates. I was still just trying to take in what was going on and begin to feel as though I belonged there, at least for 90 minutes anyway.

After a walk around the ground it was time for business again. We got changed and then out to warm up, although again in the heat out there it didn’t take much at all to work up a sweat. After our exercises it was time to come back in and prepare for the off. The procedures before the game felt much more routine second time round although nothing could have prepared me for what was to come next. Walking up the tunnel the noise was immense. As we came out it was clear that the stadium was much more full than we had first  been told. There were over 25,000 supporters at the game which gave it a truly special feeling.

The first half passed by with little incident for myself and the rest of the team, with Ceri showing his experience and control at this level with a calm and professional approach. I had however, been with the FC Basel defence meaning that for the most of the half I had been a spectator, although with the half time score only being 1v0 I knew that they would need to push again in the second half to make this superiority pay.

The second half was definitely much more lively for me with a few offside calls and much more goalmouth action. However, I was confident that the game had gone well for all of us and that again we could relax. The game finished 3v0 having been played in an extremely sporting manner, helped it must be said by Ceri’s approach and ability to get around players and communicate with them.

Back in the dressing rooms we were all happy again that it was a job well done. Each of us received a small gift from the home club including a replica shirt. Ceri also passed me the match ball with him insisting that I kept it as a souvenir of the trip. Having showered and celebrated with a beer it was time to return to the hotel. Having got changed it was time for the debrief. Thankfully our thoughts of it being a job well done were shared by our referees’ observer Sigurdur Hannesson from Iceland. We were therefore left to enjoy our last night. Although we all had the thought of a 4am wake up to stop us from making it a real late one.

The journey home went fine and I was back to normality even if I was still floating around on cloud nine after a completely unforgettable week. I could not have imagined when starting refereeing 8 years ago that I would get to experience trips like these. At this stage I must thank those closest to me for their support over this time but also members of the Referees’ Association without whom I believe that my development and progress to this level would not have been possible.

Now that I’ve had a taste of European football I just hope that there’s more to come!