WCup final will be kids´ play for Webb

Englishman Howard Webb may not be able to control his children but he knows how to keep the peace being a police sergeant but here on Sunday the spotlight will be on him to see if he can control the biggest footballing show in the world.

Webb, who turns 39 on Wednesday, will be the first Englishman since Jack Taylor took charge of the 1974 final – between hosts West Germany and The Netherlands – to take control of the World Cup final between European champions Spain and the Dutch at Soccer City.

Webb, who also refereed the Champions League final in May between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich, admits that he has not been sleeping very well since he was told of the appointment on Thursday.

“I received over 500 texts and e-mails within four hours of the announcement,” he told English newspaper The Times.

“I’ve been trying to clear them and I know I should have been trying to get some sleep, but the adrenalin just wouldn’t let me.

“As you can imagine, I feel so honoured and privileged right now. I’m lucky in so many ways and I have so many great people around me not only out here but back at home as well, I just can’t thank them enough.”

Whether he included his wife and children in that group is debatable given that his wife Kay revealed on Friday the no-nonsense son of a former miner had trouble in controlling their three children.

“I don’t know how he does it,” Mrs Webb said.

“He can’t take charge of his own children. I don’t know how he manages it on a football pitch.”

While she will not be travelling out to South Africa, because she says she would be too nervous, his father Billy, who mixed refereeing with coalmining, will be making a return trip as he had only just come back from a four week stint out there watching his son.

“I brought back with me a vuvuzela,” he told The Times.

“So I went out into the yard, blowing it in the air like a little schoolboy. I was ecstatic,” added Webb senior, who had admitted on Friday that he had advised his son to give up the game after seeing him referee his first ever match.

Webb has not always been the fans or footballing fraternity’s favourite.

He provoked the ire of Polish football fans at Euro 2008 when he awarded co-hosts Austria a last minute penalty in their opening group match which saw them draw 1-1 and had his image posted on the internet ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive’.

He also received a lambasting from the Polish Minister of Sport, who accused him of being a liar, though, Webb showed he possesses a wry sense of humour when told he had had a 25,000 pound bounty put on his head.

“Is that all?. If it was a bit more, I might claim the reward. I might hand myself in.”

However, Webb by and large is respected and among his many messages of congratulations and support there was one from Owen Coyle, the manager of English Premier League side Bolton Wanderers.

“He (Webb) got back to me and you could tell how humbled he was by it,” said Coyle.

“He’s the right pick for the job.”