WORLD CUP OFFICIAL LINE: Tetchy final made it impossible for Howard Webb to shine

An honour: Referee Howard Webb, with assistant referee Darren Cann and Michael Mullarkey, were the first all English team to officiate the World Cup final since 1974

Missed: Nigel de Jong escaped with just a yellow card for this kick on Xabi Alonso. Webb was poorly positioned at the time

Supporting Howard Webb this World Cup has been easy. But it is impossible to shine in a game like this one — tetchy, physical and tense.

Overall, he did ok but will wince when seeing the Nigel de Jong tackle in his debrief.
How many of the Dutch can say they were true to their football history when there were a record 13 yellow cards and one red? It’s easy to blame the ref, but Holland’s tactics were shameful.


I'm the boss: Webb usually let his cards do than the talking for him

Dutch protests at the goal rightly fell on deaf ears. No one, least of all Webb, could have any sympathy. The right team won.

Player management

A surprising lack of talking to the players from the first minute following Robin van Persie’s poor challenge. Usually an excellent communicator and a calming influence, Webb let his yellow cards do his talking for him. Players made it tough for him by crowding him.

Fitness

Webb’s strength is his fitness and movement; never far from the action but never in the way. Strangely out of position by the touchline in the 28th minute, he missed full impact of De Jong kick.

Assistants

Darren Cann and Mike Mullarkey did what they could to assist Webb and continued to give him all the support they could. Two close but correct offside calls by Cann against David Villa proved once again that he is the best in the world. Mullarkey was also right when he kept his flag down for Andres Iniesta to score the World Cup-winning goal in extra-time.
Decision making

It’s all about getting the big decisions right. De Jong’s kick to the chest of Alonso was an obvious red — Webb can’t have seen it clearly. Van Bommel could also have seen red in the first half. The detection of fouls was excellent but the disciplinary measures taken were not.

Match management

Balance, fair play and credibility are the key to refereeing. This was a poor game, tough to handle and made more so by the approach of the players. Watching on TV, it was clear the unfair physical approach of the Dutch was allowed to stifle the Spanish flair. When the yellow card doesn’t work the red should be shown.