Graham Poll
Encyclopedia
Graham Poll is an English
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...

 former football
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 in the Premier League and is considered the best English referee of the last 25 years in a list maintained by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). With 26 years of experience, he was regarded as one of the most prominent referees in the Premiership, often taking charge of the highest profile games. His final domestic game in a career spanning 1544 matches was the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

 play-off final on 28 May 2007 between Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

 and West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...

.

As well as refereeing the 2005 UEFA Cup Final
2005 UEFA Cup Final
The 2005 UEFA Cup Final was between Sporting CP of Portugal and CSKA Moscow of Russia. The match took at place at Sporting's home, Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, on 18 May 2005. CSKA Moscow won their first UEFA Cup and became the first Russian club to win a major European championship.-Match details:...

 he was the English representative at 2 World Cups and UEFA Euro 2000.

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, he refereed two matches successfully and, had he continued to receive high marks from assessors, would have been a candidate to take charge of the Final. However, in his third game, Croatia vs Australia, he cautioned the same player (left back Josip Simunic) three times before sending the player off. Poll retired from refereeing international tournament finals matches citing his error in the match. He continued to referee in the Premiership, Champions League and on International Games, but said he would not allow himself to be nominated to represent the FA at any Tournament Finals as he felt he had had his chance.

Football career

Poll took up the whistle in 1980, progressing from the Isthmian League to become a Football League
The 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...

 assistant referee in 1986. Five years later he became a full Football League referee, before being selected for the list of Premier League referees in 1993.

Having held a 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...

 badge since 1996, he took charge of quite a few European matches, of which possibly his most important was the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

 final between CSKA Moscow and Sporting Lisbon in 2005. Poll also took charge of many international matches, refereeing at top FIFA and UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

 tournaments such as Euro 2000, where Poll took charge of France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...

 versus Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...

, and Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

 versus Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....

 in the group stages. He refereed his last ever Premiership match on 13 May 2007, between Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...

 and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 in which he controversially, but correctly, denied Portsmouth European qualification by ruling out a Niko Kranjčar
Niko Kranjcar
Niko Kranjčar is a Croatian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur and the Croatia national team.He represented two of the biggest clubs in his homeland, playing for Dinamo Zagreb before sparking controversy by making a move to their fierce rivals Hajduk Split in 2005...

 goal for offside.

His last ever match, and his last in Europe, was to have been the Euro 2008 qualifying match
2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying
This page describes the qualifying procedure for the UEFA Euro 2008.- Seedings :Qualification coefficients were used to rank the teams according to their results in both UEFA Euro 2004 and FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying stages. Only the group matches, and not any additional playoffs, counted...

 between Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....

 and Belgium on 6 June 2007. However, some time prior to that match, he took part in an interview which appeared critical of the support referees receive from the FA in the face of criticism by team managers and coaches. The match was overseen on the day by fellow English referee Mike Riley
Mike Riley (referee)
Riley took charge of the 2004 Carling Cup final, between Bolton and Middlesbrough, in a game that saw all three goals scored within the first 25 minutes...

 instead. In August 2007, Poll released his autobiography entitled "Seeing Red", and now concentrates on media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...

 work, as a pundit for BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...

's football coverage, and as a columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....

 with The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...

, his feature entitled "The Official Line" appearing every Saturday.

Everton v Liverpool, 2000 FA Premier League

In the dying seconds of the Merseyside derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...

 between Everton and Liverpool on 21 April 2000 with the score at 0-0, the Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld
Sander Westerveld
Sander Westerveld is a Dutch professional football goalkeeper. He left Sparta Rotterdam at the end of the 2007–08 Eredivisie season to play for Monza, and is currently playing for South African Premier Soccer League club Ajax Cape Town....

 kicked the ball at Everton's Don Hutchison
Don Hutchison
Donald Hutchison is a Scottish ex-footballer who generally played in midfield but sometimes as a forward. He was a much travelled player with spells at both Liverpool and Everton as well as Sheffield United, Sunderland and West Ham United twice...

's back while Hutchison was retreating towards his own half. The ball bounced into Liverpool's net, but Poll disallowed the goal, claiming that he had already blown the whistle to end the game. The television slow-motion pictures proved that this was incorrect, and after retiring in May 2007, Poll confessed that disallowing the goal had been a mistake that he regretted.

Arsenal v Chelsea, 2004 FA Premier League

In 2004, Poll came under some criticism from then Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho, after allowing a quick free-kick to be taken by Thierry Henry. Henry went on to score the resulting free-kick to give Arsenal a 2-1 lead but the match ultimately ended 2-2. Pundits such as Andy Gray later criticised Poll for not appearing to move away from the ball, to signify a quick free-kick had been allowed. Poll later explained the decision to award the quick free-kick arguing that the referee need not blow his whistle.

World Cup 2002

Poll attracted controversy for his role in the Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 versus Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...

 game at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

, played on Saturday 8 June 2002. His two assistants that day were England's Phil Sharp
Philip Sharp (football referee)
Philip Sharp is an English Premier League assistant referee and one of only 10 match officials from the United Kingdom to have officiated in a FIFA World Cup Final....

 and Denmark's Jens Larsen. In the opening minutes, Poll had waved away a protest that a Croatian player had been injured, instructing the player to stand. When play was eventually stopped the player left the field with a bloodied nose.

Just after half time Christian Vieri
Christian Vieri
Christian Vieri is a retired Italian footballer who played as a centre forward.Vieri was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations...

 had a headed goal disallowed for offside; TV replays showed the Italian player to be on-side when the pass was made. Vieri netted the ball again minutes later to give his side the lead. Italy then had a second goal disallowed for shirt pulling, after a long free kick had found its way in. Both goals had been flagged for infringements by assistant referee Larsen. Croatia then found an equaliser through Ivica Olić
Ivica Olic
Ivica Olić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Bayern Munich in Germany and internationally for the Croatian national team.- Early career :Olić was born and raised in the village of Davor near Nova Gradiška, Croatia, Yugoslavia...

, and a winner just fifteen minutes before the end via a deflected shot from Milan Rapaić
Milan Rapaic
Milan "Miki" Rapaić was a Croatian football midfielder who last played for HNK Trogir after his contract with Standard Liège ended in July 2007....

. Poll had a busy game, as there were forty-two fouls, three goals scored, two goals disallowed, and two bookings.

After the game, Vieri said "Those weren't division one or even division two officials, they were village officials." Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti, Ufficiale OMRI, is an Italian footballer who is the captain of Serie A club Roma. His primary position is that of a trequartista, though he has also been successfully utilized as a lone striker. Totti has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most...

 also complained about the lack of protection Poll had offered him: "I took a lot of kicks. He was an English referee in every way."

As a result of the game 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...

 were asked about the standard of refereeing at that World Cup. Their spokesman, Keith Cooper, said: "Generally the overall standard (of refereeing) is more than satisfactory. It is acknowledged that mistakes may be made. I'm not necessarily saying this was the case last night. I do want to emphasize that. It is in the nature of the beast that mistakes can happen. Referees are humans just like players and we shouldn't look at isolated matches, but the standard as a whole." Poll was given one more appointment at that world cup: Fourth Official to Pierluigi Collina
Pierluigi Collina
Pierluigi Collina is a former Italian football referee. He is still involved in football as non-paid consultant to the Italian Football Referees Association , and is a member of the UEFA Referees Committee...

 in the second round match which Turkey beat Japan 1-0. "

World Cup 2002 statistics

  • Games officiated: 1
  • Goals seen: 3
  • Bookings: 2
  • Reds: 0
  • Penalties awarded: 0

Event Games
World Cup 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

 
1 3 0 0

Arsenal v Sheffield United, 2003 FA Cup Semi-Final

Poll was consistently given the most important matches to referee and most passed without contentious incidents. When there was controversy, however, the nature of his role meant that he was criticised fiercely. One such controversy was when Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 met Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

 in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 Semi Final at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (football)
Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 75,811, Old Trafford is the second-largest football stadium in England after Wembley, the third-largest in the United Kingdom and the eleventh-largest in Europe...

, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 in the 2002-2003 competition. Arsenal won the game 1-0 but in the lead up to their goal by Freddie Ljungberg, some commentators thought that Sol Campbell had fouled United forward Wayne Allison
Wayne Allison
Wayne Anthony Allison is an English former footballer and coach. In a career spanning over 20 years; he has previously played for eight clubs and scored more than 200 goals. He is a centre forward and is nicknamed the "Chief"...

. The ball broke free, and as United midfielder Michael Tonge
Michael Tonge
Michael William Eric Tonge is an English footballer who plays for Stoke City.Born in Manchester and raised in Astley, Tonge began his football career at Manchester United but moved to Sheffield United at the age of 16 after being released by the Premier League club. Tonge attended Bedford High...

 tried to get the free ball he collided with Poll. This prevented him from tracking back to cover the scorer, to the dismay of Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....

, the then Sheffield United manager. Additionally, he allowed play to go on as Wayne Allison
Wayne Allison
Wayne Anthony Allison is an English former footballer and coach. In a career spanning over 20 years; he has previously played for eight clubs and scored more than 200 goals. He is a centre forward and is nicknamed the "Chief"...

 lay prone on the ground after what some perceived to be a foul. He further drew controversy by smiling as he left the pitch at half time, although in his autobiography he explained that it was a defence mechanism to cope with the abuse Warnock and others were shouting.

World Cup 2006

Poll was the only British referee at the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

 in Germany.

v.

This was the first game of Poll's second FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

, with first time Finalists Togo
Togo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...

 taking on 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

 semi-finalists South Korea. Poll sent off Jean-Paul Abalo
Jean-Paul Abalo
Jean-Paul Yaovi Dosseh Abalo is a former Togolese football defender, who last plays for Al-Merrikh in Sudan.-International career:He was the captain of the Togo national football team, and was called up to the 2006 World Cup...

 of Togo for a second bookable offence, although he accidentally showed the red card first and the yellow second. Lee Chun-Soo
Lee Chun-Soo
Lee Chun-Soo is a football player from South Korea, who currently plays for Omiya Ardija. He was a key member of his national team during the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 Summer Olympics...

 netted an equaliser for Korea from the resultant free kick.

v.

Poll's second game of the 2006 FIFA World Cup saw 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...

 meet Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...

. The Ukrainians finished 4-0 winners. Poll received slight criticism from commentators for not booking players for unsportsmanlike 'diving' when turning down a penalty appeal (as referees have been instructed to do 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...

). In all, he showed six yellows, three to each side. There was an unfortunate moment in the first half for Poll, after he accidentally deflected the ball into the path of the Ukrainian, Maksym Kalynychenko
Maksym Kalynychenko
Maksym Serhiyovych Kalynychenko is a professional Ukrainian football midfielder for Tavriya Simferopol, sometimes playing in central midfield or as a winger. Observers have noted his pace, creativity, and accuracy in free kicks / penalties...

. The midfielder crossed the ball in front of the goal, and Andriy Shevchenko
Andriy Shevchenko
Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko is a Ukrainian footballer who plays for Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukraine national team as a striker. He is the third-highest scorer in the history of European club competition with 67 goals as of 2011-03-10, behind Filippo Inzaghi and Raúl. With 175 goals scored with A.C...

 only narrowly avoided making contact.

v.

His next game was the Group F
2006 FIFA World Cup - Group F
Play in Group F of the 2006 FIFA World Cup completed on 22 June 2006. Brazil won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with Australia receiving runner-up in the group...

 match between Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...

 and Australia on 22 June. Tom Dart, in his Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

article on the match, commented that "The choice of Graham Poll as referee was surprising since he is familiar to the Australians who play in the Barclays Premiership." Inside the first ten minutes of the game, Poll did not see a rough tackle in the box by Josip Šimunić
Josip Šimunic
Josip Šimunić is a Croatian footballer who plays as a defender for Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian national team.-Club career:...

 as a foul, He followed to disallow a second penalty claim by Australia when Tomas handballed inside the box.

After already sending off two players, Poll failed to send off
Misconduct (football)
Misconduct in association football is any conduct by a player that is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction in accordance with Law 12 of the Laws of the Game. Misconduct may occur at any time, including when the ball is out of play, during half-time and before and after the...

 Šimunić for a second yellow card late in the match, eventually sending him off for a third yellow for dissent at the final whistle. Poll also stated that he had erred in his second booking of Šimunić, marking his card with the correct number (3) but in the wrong column; effectively noting it against Australia's Craig Moore
Craig Moore
Craig Andrew Moore , is a retired Australian soccer defender.Moore is best known for his two spells with Scottish Premier Division / Scottish Premier League club Rangers...

. This meant he had no record of the previous booking when showing Šimunić his second card. FIFA initially noted all three bookings in its match report, before later removing the 90th minute (second) booking. The incident prompted the removal of Poll from the knockout stages referee pool.

The game ended 2-2, putting Australia through to the next round. Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...

 later commented that "had Australia lost the game and gone out of the World Cup, they would have had grounds to request a replay." Poll's assistant also missed that the second Australian goal by Harry Kewell
Harry Kewell
Harold "Harry" Kewell is an Australian professional football midfielder who plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Internationally he has received 55 caps, and scored 16 goals, while playing for the Australian national team...

 was scored from an offside position. Within half an hour of the game ending, UK bookmaker Coral offered odds of 10-1 against Poll refereeing another match at the tournament.

Outcome

On 28 June, Poll was named as one of 14 officials dismissed by FIFA from the remaining World Cup 2006 matches following his error in the Croatia v. Australia match. Maria Villar Llona, president of the FIFA referee's committee, said of Poll, "He is an exceptional referee and a great sportsman, who will be able to overcome the situation thanks to his strong personality and love of the game."

Poll retired from international tournament finals football on 29 June 2006, citing the error as the reason. He said in his retirement announcement,
"What I did was an error in law. There can be no dispute. It was not caused by a FIFA directive, it was not caused by me being asked to referee differently to the way I referee in the Premier League. The laws of the game are very specific. The referee takes responsibility for his actions on the field of play. I was the referee that evening. It was my error and the book stops with me."

In the press release, he also claimed that he had asked FIFA to be allowed to go home, to be with his family after the trauma of his mistake in the match.

He continued to referee in the Champions League and on International Games, but said he would not allow himself to be nominated to represent The FA at any tournament finals. "It's time for somebody else in England to have a go and I will do everything I can to prepare them. But for me tournament football is over," Poll said.

World Cup 2006 statistics

  • Games officiated: 3
  • Goals seen: 11
  • Bookings: 16
  • Reds: 4
  • Penalties awarded: 1

Event Games
World Cup 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

 
3 16 4 0

  • The above table is representative of the Laws of the Game, so does not include the extra yellow card
    mistakenly shown to Josip Šimunić of Croatia during his well-documented dismissal: see Croatia v. Australia

Career highlights

  • FA Cup Final
    FA Cup Final
    The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...

    , 20 May 2000, Chelsea v. Aston Villa
    FA Cup Final 2000
    The 2000 FA Cup Final took place on 20 May 2000 and was the last to be played at the old Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Chelsea and Aston Villa, who had finished 5th and 6th respectively in the Premier League that season...

     (last Cup Final at old Wembley Stadium)

  • Worthington Cup
    Worthington cup
    Worthington Cup may refer to:* The Football League Cup, an English professional football trophy, known by this name when sponsored by the Worthington brand of beer between 1998 and 2003.* The Worthington Trophy, a Canadian military award....

     Final
    , 24 February 2002, Blackburn
    Blackburn Rovers F.C.
    Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....

     v. Tottenham

  • 2002 FIFA World Cup
    2002 FIFA World Cup
    The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

    , 8 June 2002, Italy
    Italy national football team
    The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

     v. Croatia
    Croatia national football team
    The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...

     (only English referee)

  • Championship
    Football League Championship
    The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

     Playoff Final
    , 29 May 2004, Crystal Palace
    Crystal Palace F.C.
    Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...

     v. West Ham
    West Ham United F.C.
    West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...



  • 2006 FIFA World Cup
    2006 FIFA World Cup
    The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

    , June 2006, Korea Republic
    Korea Republic national football team
    The Korea Republic national football team represents Korea Republic in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Korea Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments,...

     v. Togo
    Togo national football team
    The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...

    , 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...

     v. Ukraine
    Ukraine national football team
    The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...

    , Croatia
    Croatia national football team
    The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...

     v. Australia - (only English referee)

  • Championship
    Football League Championship
    The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

     Playoff Final
    , 28 May 2007, Derby County
    Derby County F.C.
    Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

     v. West Bromwich Albion
    West Bromwich Albion F.C.
    West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...


International career details

1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
  • 2 April 1997, Azerbaijan
    Azerbaijan national football team
    The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...

     1 Finland
    Finland national football team
    The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....

     2


UEFA Euro 2000  
  • 16 June 2000, Czech Republic
    Czech Republic national football team
    The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...

     1 France
    France national football team
    The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...

     2
  • 21 June 2000, Slovenia
    Slovenia national football team
    The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....

     0 Norway
    Norway national football team
    The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

     0


2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
  • 11 October 2000, Netherlands
    Netherlands national football team
    The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

     0 Portugal
    Portugal national football team
    The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...

     2
  • 1 September 2001, Slovenia
    Slovenia national football team
    The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....

     2 Russia
    Russia national football team
    The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...

     1
  • 14 November 2001, Paraguay
    Paraguay national football team
    The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...

     0 Colombia
    Colombia national football team
    The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...

     4


2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...


  • 8 June 2002, Italy
    Italy national football team
    The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

     1 Croatia
    Croatia national football team
    The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...

     2


2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
  • 4 September 2004, Latvia
    Latvia national football team
    The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...

     0 Portugal
    Portugal national football team
    The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...

     2
  • 17 August 2005, Latvia
    Latvia national football team
    The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...

     1 Russia
    Russia national football team
    The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...

     1
  • 7 September 2005, Spain
    Spain national football team
    The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...

     1 Serbia and Montenegro 1

  • 12 October 2005, Bahrain
    Bahrain national football team
    The Bahrain national football team is the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association; it was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the finals of the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so...

     0 Uzbekistan
    Uzbekistan national football team
    The Uzbekistan national football team represents Uzbekistan in association football and is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Uzbekistan...

     0
  • 16 November 2005, Czech Republic
    Czech Republic national football team
    The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...

     1 Norway
    Norway national football team
    The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

     0


FIFA Club World Championship 2005
  • 11 December 2005, Al-Ittihad 1 Al-Ahly
    Al-Ahly
    Al-Ahly Sports Club , commonly known as simply Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian sporting club. Founded in April 1907, Al-Ahly was named in 2000 by the Confederation of African Football as the "African Club of the Century"...

     0
  • 18 December 2005, Al-Ittihad  2 Deportivo Saprissa 3


2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...


  • 13 June 2006, Korea Republic
    Korea Republic national football team
    The Korea Republic national football team represents Korea Republic in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Korea Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments,...

     2 Togo
    Togo national football team
    The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...

     1
  • 19 June 2006, 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...

     0 Ukraine
    Ukraine national football team
    The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...

     4
  • 22 June 2006, Croatia
    Croatia national football team
    The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...

     2 Australia 2

Card statistics

SeasonGamesTotal per gameTotal per game
1995/1996 21 62 2.95 3 0.14
1997/1998 28 113 4.03 12 0.42
1998/1999 32 119 3.71 9 0.28
1999/2000 40 136 3.40 6 0.15
2000/2001 43 119 2.76 11 0.25
2001/2002 45 120 2.66 6 0.13
2002/2003 40 119 2.98 5 0.12
2003/2004 42 114 2.71 4 0.09
2004/2005 45 124 2.75 5 0.11
2005/2006 49 166 3.38 10 0.20
2006/2007 48 165 3.43 8 0.16

Media

Poll has made several appearances on popular football radio show: World Soccer Daily
World Soccer Daily
World Football Daily is a sports radio talk show hosted by Martin Rogers and Sophie Nicolaou. The show broadcasts live on the show's official website, WorldFootballDaily.com, Monday through Friday 9–11 a.m, PST, and is later made available as a podcast...

, where he is typically asked to provide a view from the point of the referee whenever major controversial issues occur. He also features weekly on Chappers Premier League Podcast alongside Mark Chapman and Kevin Day.
As well as this features in the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...

 where he speaks on officiating at the highest level, talking about decisions referees have to make. He also appears regularly as a pundit on Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...

 'Football Matters' show on Monday nights hosted by James Richardson and Rebecca Lowe. Since the end of 2009, Poll has also appeared as a regular news paper reviewer on Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...

 Sunrise.

Personal life

Poll grew up in Bandley Hill and Shephall, and attended Ashtree Junior School and Alleyne's School. Poll is married to Julia. The couple have two daughters (Gemma and Josie), and one son. He also continues with charity work, and ran in the London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...

 on 13 April 2008, finishing in a time of four hours and 20 minutes. The proceeds went to the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home. On SkyOne television panel show, A League of Their Own, Poll confessed to being a Queens Park Rangers supporter.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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