Philip Don
Encyclopedia
Philip Don is a former football
referee and school headteacher from England
. Don was originally from Sheffield
but his teaching career took him south to Middlesex
. He is counted amongst the top 100 referees of all time in a list maintained by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
linesman in 1980 at the age of 28. In 1985 he missed out at the interview stage for a place on the referees list but was successful the following year.
Very soon he showed his potential to be a leading referee and picked up a fair number of top division games. His progress was accelerated by FIFA
's decision to reduce its retirement age for referees to forty five. This provided new opportunities for a number of younger officials and Don was one of five promoted to the FIFA List in 1992. His appointment to that year's FA Cup Final between Liverpool and Sunderland marked him out as a leader amongst the new crop of English international referees and he was to hold that status over the next few years.
In a short time he made his mark on the international stage. When the original choice for the 1993-94 UEFA Champions League Final, Dutchman John Blankenstein
, had to withdraw, Don took charge of the game in Athens
, even though he had little over two years experience at that level. In the match, Milan thrashed Barcelona
4-0. He officiated in two matches in the 1994 World Cup
: the quarter-final between Sweden
and Romania
in Palo Alto
, and the first-round game between Saudi Arabia
and Morocco
in New Jersey
.
Don took charge of the 1995 League Cup Final but his career came to a premature end at the end of that season. He had to retire, five years early, as work commitments as a headteacher took priority.
towards the end of the 1990s. He favoured a hardline, "by the book" style of refereeing in the Premier League and ushered in the new Select List of professional referees in 2001. This though led to tensions, particularly with David Elleray
who preferred to maintain his teaching career at Harrow School
rather than turn professional. Other tensions appeared and he was later replaced by Keith Hackett
.
Print
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
referee and school headteacher from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Don was originally from Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
but his teaching career took him south to Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
. He is counted amongst the top 100 referees of all time in a list maintained by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
Career
He became a Football LeagueThe Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
linesman in 1980 at the age of 28. In 1985 he missed out at the interview stage for a place on the referees list but was successful the following year.
Very soon he showed his potential to be a leading referee and picked up a fair number of top division games. His progress was accelerated by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
's decision to reduce its retirement age for referees to forty five. This provided new opportunities for a number of younger officials and Don was one of five promoted to the FIFA List in 1992. His appointment to that year's FA Cup Final between Liverpool and Sunderland marked him out as a leader amongst the new crop of English international referees and he was to hold that status over the next few years.
In a short time he made his mark on the international stage. When the original choice for the 1993-94 UEFA Champions League Final, Dutchman John Blankenstein
John Blankenstein
John Blankenstein was a Dutch soccer referee. He was notable for being one of the first homosexual athletes to come out in the Netherlands....
, had to withdraw, Don took charge of the game in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, even though he had little over two years experience at that level. In the match, Milan thrashed Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
4-0. He officiated in two matches in the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
: the quarter-final between Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
and Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
in Palo Alto
Stanford Stadium
Stanford Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the Stanford University campus, the home of Stanford Cardinal college football team. It originally opened in 1921 as a football and track stadium, an earthen horseshoe with wooden bleacher seating and flooring upon a steel frame...
, and the first-round game between Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
and Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...
in New Jersey
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
.
Don took charge of the 1995 League Cup Final but his career came to a premature end at the end of that season. He had to retire, five years early, as work commitments as a headteacher took priority.
In retirement
He moved into a referee assessing role and later became head of refereeing at the Football AssociationThe Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
towards the end of the 1990s. He favoured a hardline, "by the book" style of refereeing in the Premier League and ushered in the new Select List of professional referees in 2001. This though led to tensions, particularly with David Elleray
David Elleray
David Roland Elleray , is an English former football referee, who officiated in the Football League, the FA Premier League and for FIFA.-Career:...
who preferred to maintain his teaching career at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
rather than turn professional. Other tensions appeared and he was later replaced by Keith Hackett
Keith Hackett
Keith Stuart Hackett is an English former football referee, who began refereeing in local leagues in the Sheffield, Yorkshire, area in 1960...
.
- Elleray, David (2004) The Man In the Middle, Time Warner.
- Football League Handbooks 1980-1985.
- Rothmans / Sky Sports Football Yearbooks, 1986 onwards.