Joe Worrall
Encyclopedia
Joseph Bertram Worrall is an English
former football
referee, who operated in the Football League
and for FIFA
. He comes from Warrington
in Cheshire
, and has the distinction of having refereed both of the major club competition Finals in England.
list in 1973.
He was appointed as a FIFA
referee in 1981, serving the world body for 11 years until 1992, when he had to step down due to age restrictions.
He was given control of the first of his two major domestic competition Finals on April 24, 1988, when Luton Town
defeated Arsenal
by three goals to two at Wembley in the League Cup Final
of that year. Worrall awarded Arsenal a penalty in the last ten minutes, with the score at 2-1 to the 'Gunners', but Nigel Winterburn
failed to convert it.
On May 20, 1989, he stepped out again at Wembley to take charge of the FA Cup Final
between Liverpool
and Everton
, which finished 3-2 to Liverpool after extra time, the scores being tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes.
Worrall was the referee for the 1992 European Championships qualifier between Italy
and Hungary
at the Stadio Arechi
, Salerno
, on May 1, 1991. Italy were the victors by 3-1.
His last appointment on the FIFA list, and his highest international honour, was to referee the 1992 UEFA Cup Final first leg at the Stadio Delle Alpi
on April 29, 1992 between Torino of Italy
and Ajax
of Holland. The score from that match was 2-2, but after a 0-0 draw in the second leg in Amsterdam
, Ajax were declared winners on away goals.
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, who operated in the 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...
and for 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...
. He comes from Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, and has the distinction of having refereed both of the major club competition Finals in England.
Career
Worrall took up refereeing in 1964, at the age of 19, officiating in the Warrington and District Football League. He eventually progressed to the Cheshire Association Football League, before gaining promotion to the 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...
list in 1973.
He was appointed as 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...
referee in 1981, serving the world body for 11 years until 1992, when he had to step down due to age restrictions.
He was given control of the first of his two major domestic competition Finals on April 24, 1988, when Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
defeated 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...
by three goals to two at Wembley in the League Cup Final
1988 Football League Cup Final
The 1988 Littlewoods Cup Final,took place at Wembley Stadium on 24 April 1988, and was contested between Luton Town and Arsenal. Luton won the match, thanks to goals from Danny Wilson and Brian Stein . Goals from Alan Smith and Martin Hayes had seen Arsenal lead 2-1 before a late comeback from Luton...
of that year. Worrall awarded Arsenal a penalty in the last ten minutes, with the score at 2-1 to the 'Gunners', but Nigel Winterburn
Nigel Winterburn
Nigel Winterburn is a retired English footballer who played at left-back for Arsenal. He is best known for his role alongside Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Lee Dixon, forming a celebrated defensive line in the Premier League and European football during the 1990s.-Early career:Winterburn was born...
failed to convert it.
On May 20, 1989, he stepped out again at Wembley to take charge of the FA Cup Final
1989 FA Cup Final
The 1989 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1988–89 FA Cup, the top football knockout competition in England. The match was a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 20 May 1989. Liverpool won 3–2 after extra time, with goals from John Aldridge and two...
between Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, which finished 3-2 to Liverpool after extra time, the scores being tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes.
Worrall was the referee for the 1992 European Championships qualifier between 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...
and Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
at the Stadio Arechi
Stadio Arechi
The Stadio Arechi is a multi-purpose stadium in Salerno, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Salernitana Calcio 1919.The stadium holds 37,245 and was built in 1991....
, Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
, on May 1, 1991. Italy were the victors by 3-1.
His last appointment on the FIFA list, and his highest international honour, was to referee the 1992 UEFA Cup Final first leg at the Stadio Delle Alpi
Stadio delle Alpi
The Stadio delle Alpi was a football and athletics stadium in Turin, Italy and was the home of both Juventus Football Club and Torino Football Club between 1990 and 2006. In English, the name meant "Stadium of the Alps," a reference to the nearby Alps mountain range...
on April 29, 1992 between Torino of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Ajax
Ajax Amsterdam
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax , also referred to as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam or simply Ajax , is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands...
of Holland. The score from that match was 2-2, but after a 0-0 draw in the second leg in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Ajax were declared winners on away goals.