Howard Webb retires from refereeing after 25-year career, assumes technical director role

After 25 years handing out bookings and overseeing some of the biggest matches the sport has to offer, arguably the most recognizable official in European football is blowing the final whistle on his career.

The Premier League announced Wednesday that Howard Webb is retiring, turning in his refereeing job in favor of assuming a newly-created position that will allow him to oversee the performance and development of the league's officials.

Webb, who was in charge of both the 2010 World Cup and Champions League finals, has been named the technical director of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).

In a statement from the league, Webb's new role is described as one that will allow him to manage a training program geared towards "the successful development" of referees in the lower leagues, with the ultimate goal of getting them to the top-flight of English football.

Understandably, the 43-year-old is looking forward to the new role:

"I am very excited to start this new chapter in my career after a wonderfully rewarding 25 years on the pitch," Webb said. "I have spent over a decade with the best seat in the house for Barclays Premier League matches, been lucky enough to be involved in nine UEFA and FIFA tournaments, and taken charge of the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup finals.

"Refereeing has given me so much and it’s important that match officials who have had the rewards remain in the game to pass on their knowledge. I also have much more to learn about the business of refereeing and the best place for me to do that is with PGMOL. It’s an incredibly positive working environment and we all have a common goal of improving refereeing."

Webb began his career in 1989, moving up through the ranks before ultimately taking charge of more than 500 EPL matches. His resum includes eight international tournaments, the two high-profile matches mentioned above - which put him down in history as the first referee to ever oversee those two contests in the same year - and an appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to football.

Suffice it to say, he's more than qualified for the new job.