Howard Webb returns to England on mission to boost referees’ confidence

Premier League’s first chief refereeing officer feels standards have improved but admits more transparency is needed

MAN IN THE MIDDLE: Referee Howard Webb. Picture: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

'When you think about refereeing it’s very much about confidence,” says Howard Webb. “It’s a mental discipline, you need resilience to be successful at it. My job is to make sure that referees are going into their job feeling confident and supported.” 

After eight years away, the most successful referee of the Premier League era has come back to the English game. His contract overseeing officials in the US had come to an end and he had been in discussions about coming home in some form for a while, but Webb’s appointment as the first chief refereeing officer in the elite game has the feel of a necessity, as – by common consent – the men in black need all the help they can get.